Archives for September 2021

Igor by Francesca Dafne Vignaga

September 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Igor by Francesca Dafne Vignaga
Publisher: Windmill Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The only thing Igor knows about himself is his name. When he’s not busy playing, he likes to watch what the animals do, but why has he never seen anyone else like himself? Maybe it is time to leave home and go on a journey of self-discovery.

Where do baby monsters come from? More specifically, where did baby Igor come from, and what sort of creature is he?

I appreciated this picture book’s prudent and sparse use of language. It’s minimalistic descriptions of Igor’s life and thoughts fit his curious personality perfectly. Of course he wouldn’t bother explaining obvious things when he could be off having adventures instead. The audience could infer why he made the choices he did through careful observation, and that’s exactly what this reader did. It was delightful to come up with my own theories about what might happen to him next before discovering whether or not they were correct.

The ending didn’t quite seem to fit the themes of the beginning and the middle. After his long journey, I had certain expectations of what Igor would find and how he’d react to the answers he received about where he came from and who he was. It would have been helpful to have more development in this section as I did find it confusing based on everything that had happened to him earlier.

With that being said, I adored Igor as a character. His unflappable personality was the perfect fit for all of the unexpected twists and turns in his adventures. There was nothing that would stand in his way of seeking the truth. I did feel I got to know him well, but I can’t help but it hope there will be more stories about him coming in the future.

Igor is a good pick for imaginative and adventurous readers of all ages.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Closed Circles by Viveca Sten

September 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Closed Circles by Viveca Sten
(Sandhamn Murders Book 2)
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It’s a beautiful day for a regatta—until one of Sandhamn Island’s most prestigious residents is killed aboard his sailing yacht.

Oscar Juliander was a rich lawyer and deputy chairman of the prestigious Royal Swedish Yacht Club. While at first his death seems like a tragic accident, there is evidence of foul play. Police detective Thomas Andreasson teams up with local lawyer Nora Linde to investigate. As they work to uncover clues, they face resistance from an elite world where nothing but appearance matters.

When the rich and powerful inhabitants of Sweden’s idyllic island getaway come under scrutiny, Thomas and Nora must work closely and secretively to seek justice.

When the Vice Chairman of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club is shot on his boat in time with the starting gun of one of the biggest regattas in the height of summer, Police detective Thomas Andreasson and his colleagues have their work cut out for them. An important man and seriously well-connected the victim is also a lawyer and so the list of people who could have born a grudge is daunting. Added in the many rich and powerful inhabitants of Sandhamn Island and the RSYC and even though there are smiles and offers to help abounding it seems as if everyone has secrets to hide. Can Thomas and Nora once again work together and bring justice to bear?

I was eager to read this second book in Viveca Sten’s mystery series. I greatly enjoyed the first (Still Waters) and was pleased to find this story stood excellently alone but retained many of the strong aspects that had me enjoying the first. This is a slower-paced mystery but has a large and very well written set of characters which really had me able to enjoy and picture everything going on. While I admit this large cast of characters slows the pace of the plot and murder investigation – and therefore slows the pace of the book as well – I truly can’t fault the author for this, mainly because it’s the different perspectives and interweaving of the plot and characters that made this book in large part so enjoyable for me.

A lot of the book is split well, I feel, between Nora and Thomas. Nora is unhappily married with two children and Thomas is healing emotionally from his divorce and the devastation resulting from his infant daughter dying from SIDS some time ago. Nora and Thomas are friends, but work well together and have a strong, platonic relationship that I thoroughly enjoy. These two characters are both relatable and believable and I feel are both strong enough to steer the book very well.

What I enjoyed about this book is that while Nora and Thomas’ relationship is mostly straightforward, all the other secondary characters are a nest of interweaving messy emotions which was delightfully complicated. There’s illicit affairs, jostling for position and power – both political and no – within the Royal Yacht Club and assorted business dealings. Keeping all the various connections, friendships, affairs and relations in mind was complicated in an intriguing way and trying to sort out motive verses normal human emotions and reactions kept my attention riveted on the pages as I worked my way through the book.

In some respects this book is deceptively simple – a very believable and realistic mess of human interactions pushed to the limit and so resulting in murder. But as so often in real life, the simple emotions are layered and woven in with others and so it’s a mess trying to sort everything out which is why it’s so interesting to see Thomas and Nora, along with the rest of the police team, try to untangle everything.

Readers looking for a thriller type of story or a fast-paced, action driven mystery probably won’t enjoy this as much as I did, but readers who enjoy complicated and very realistic, emotional and tangled stories should find this delightful Swedish story a great read. I’m eagerly looking forward to more in this series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Not So Sham Wedding by Megan Slayer from the Reluctant Groom Anthology – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 20, 2021 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Megan Slayer will be awarding a prize pack with a necklace made by the author to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

He’s older, wiser, and always gets what he wants. This wedding is happening … whether the groom likes it or not.

Our seven hand-picked stories feature young reluctant grooms and the older men determined to claim them. These forced marriages may start out frigid, but our authors will prove that love can conquer all.

Evernight’s Reluctant Groom anthology stories are sure to deliver passion that is off the charts, scorching hot sex, and sigh-worthy happy ever afters.

Worth the Risk by Allyson Young

Sins of the Father Hannah Morse

Room With a View by James Cox

Making It Real by Marie Medina

Protecting Chauncey by Cooper McKenzie

October Surprise L.J. Longo

Not So Sham Wedding by Megan Slayer

Enjoyan Excerpt

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hudson Granger said. “I have to do what?” He’d misheard the declaration from his assistant.

“Lucas?”

“Get married.” Lucas Cole held the tablet and looked up at him.

“You can stay in your position with Granger Stores and will be given your inheritance if you get married before the end of the month. It’s one of the stipulations in your father’s will. Every child must be married before the end of January. It’s already January twenty-eighth.”

“Or I can’t inherit that money and keep my position as the head of Granger Stores?” Hudson pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m the only child who isn’t married.”

“Correct.” Lucas sighed and swiped his finger over the screen.

“Apparently, your sisters don’t get their money until you’re married.

They’ve got incentive to get you coupled up.”

“Crap.” He swayed before settling on the edge of his desk.

“They want the cash. Lia needs money for her second honeymoon, Cassie wants to put her kids through private school, and Desiree needs an infusion of money to her design studio.”

“Yes, yes, and yes.” Lucas paled. His blue eyes widened.

“They’re on the way up here. Looks like Cassie was in the lobby with a brunette woman. She’s trying to fix you up, I bet.”

“I’m gay.”

“I know that, and so do your sisters.” Lucas placed the tablet on Hudson’s desk. “What do you want to do? This is your life, and it should be your decision.”

©MeganSlayer, All Rights Reserved

About the Author:

Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.

When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library.

Website | Newsletter | Blog | Facebook | Amazon Autho Page | BookBub | Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter
 

Buy the book at Amazon, Publisher, Barnes and Noble, Shashwords, or Kobo.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Guest Blogs Tagged With: , , ,

Friday Five Writing Prompt Challenge for September 17, 2021

September 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Each Friday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly five word writing prompt. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s five words to use as your prompt are: crown, fold, tap, stun, rice

Filed Under: Friday Five Writing Prompt Challenge, Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: , ,

Finding Happiness In The Dark by Kenneth Liddane

September 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Finding Happiness In The Dark by Kenneth Liddane
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Have you ever said
“I WILL BE HAPPY IF…”?

Did you ever achieve that? And if so, what happened next? Are you living happily ever after, or did you set new goals and update your “I will be happy if…” statement?

In this book, I address the fact that the search for happiness is flawed! Happiness is unique to each individual, it is ever-changing and conditional.

By searching for happiness, I am actually just reminding myself that I am not happy now! After all, why would I search for happiness if I am already happy?

I can tell myself that I am fine, but that doesn’t change how I actually feel, and how I actually feel directly impacts how I perceive the world around me, which affects how I think and behave.

So why do I endure this darkness while I try and persuade myself and others that everything is OK?

Finding Happiness In The Dark directly links our thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviours with the same core instincts and drives as every living thing on this planet.

With this insight, you can see how unhelpful thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviours develop as we try to navigate through life’s challenges both internally and externally.

By considering the knowledge, skills and possible supports highlighted in this book, you will see that you no longer need to avoid, suppress or endure any part of your true self.

All aspects of your natural self are valuable, and by learning to realise your full potential, you can utilise all of the resources that are at your disposal, and become better able to face any challenge and life experience that comes your way.

Let Finding Happiness In The Dark help you emerge from the darkness,
so happiness has nowhere to hide!

What are you waiting for?

What would you be willing to do to become a happier person?

My favorite sections were the ones that discussed why it might not be the best idea to make chasing happiness a goal in and of itself. They were filled with examples of how fleeting this emotion can be and how strongly our perceptions of it can be influenced by any number of factors, from the mood one woke up with that day to the opinions of those around them. This wasn’t to say that happiness doesn’t provide useful information at times, only that the author felt there were more accurate and meaningful ways to keep track of how one is doing and what, if anything, they wish to improve upon.

This book would have benefited from another round of editing because of how wordy and repetitive the writing in it could be at times. It could have been edited down tightly to novella length or kept the same size if it had included more details about the mental exercises and psychological terms the author was discussing. I would have been pleased with either option, but my attention did wander while reading certain passages that over-explained the same points more than once even though I was quite interested in the premise in general.

The questions left at the end of each chapter for readers to quietly ponder were helpful. I appreciated how open-ended they were. Not only did their lack of assumptions about how a reader might answer them make them easy to answer, they also revealed parts of me to myself that I’d never really spent much time exploring before. It was rewarding to have the opportunity to get to know myself a little better there.

Finding Happiness In The Dark was a thought-provoking read.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Taken Hard by Sam Crescent

September 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Taken Hard by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

With women throwing themselves at him, Caleb Hard never intended to settle down. But he secretly wants to find a woman and have a marriage exactly like what his parents have. The moment Lilly enters his world, he can’t get the woman out of his mind.

Her mother’s reputation follows her everywhere, and Lilly is used to being whispered about. When Caleb offers her friendship, she’s more than happy to take it. What she doesn’t expect is for him to admit he wants a virgin like her. A perfect gentleman, Caleb doesn’t rush.

He’s fallen in love, and this isn’t about sex. He wants forever, but he doesn’t want to scare her off. Is there any chance of them ever truly working?

Lilly’s mother was the town whore and from a young age Lilly had been branded with the same reputation. As such she avoided men in general – and the Hard boys in particular. Caleb Hard was certainly a player, but after being introduced to Lilly something about her struck him as completely different. Intrigued, Caleb desperately wants to learn more. Will Lilly be willing to risk her heart and her reputation on a man like Caleb?

I found this to be a fun and seriously steamy story. While both Lilly and Caleb’s characters were somewhat predictable this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the story. Caleb has a large and rambunctious family which always is a great addition to a story with plenty of antics and interesting secondary characters. I also likely that Lilly had her own set of close friends with Aunty Betty and Eliza. It gave me the strong feeling that even with her personal strength and determination Lilly had her own tribe to help uplift and protect her and Caleb couldn’t take advantage of her emotions and feelings for him.

I was both relieved and impressed that Caleb and Lilly took their time in getting to know each other. While it’s fairly standard for an erotic romance to have the main characters jump into bed and be intimate pretty early on I really enjoyed that Caleb took his time with Lilly and let things progress a little more naturally and slowly. This was wonderful to read and really heightened my enjoyment of the story – seeing Lilly and Caleb form a connection, interact together and it let me see how they could work in the longer term and not just be simply infatuated with each other and have that whither down the track. It was lovely to read and really bumped up the believability for me.

That said there was certainly plenty of steam and passion once Lilly and Caleb made it to the bedroom. Readers looking for an explicit and steamy story should definitely find this aspect of the book meets their expectations.

With a good sized cast of secondary characters, some fun and interesting conflict with other members of the town and a lovely emotional and slow paced romance this is a great book. I enjoyed the small tag towards the end giving the reader a small glimpse of what the next book in the series will be and feel that this is a steamy and lovely story.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Dear Librarian by Lydia M. Sigwarth

September 16, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Dear Librarian by Lydia M. Sigwarth
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. They hopped from Grandma’s house to Aunt Linda’s house to Cousin Alice’s house, but no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed. Lydia’s mom took her to a new place ― not a house, but a big building with stone columns, and tall, tall steps. The library.

In the library, Lydia found her special spot across from the sunny window, at a round desk. For behind that desk was her new friend, the librarian. Together, Lydia and the librarian discovered a world beyond their walls, one that sparkled with spectacular joy.

Paired with warm art by newcomer Romina Galotta and a foreword by Ira Glass, Dear Librarian is a “thank you” to anyone who has offered a child love and support during a difficult time.

Homelessness comes in many forms, including ones that involve children and young families.

I appreciated this picture book’s gentle but honest approach to the topic of homelessness. It explained everything clearly while remaining sensitive to the questions young children might have about why some people don’t have a home to call their own. This was something I’d eagerly read to the little ones in my life in order to explain this topic to them.

Public libraries serve so many important roles in a community, from providing free educational resources to giving everyone a chance to find something entertaining to do over the weekend. I hadn’t spent much time thinking about how libraries can help people or families who need a safe, quiet place to go and forget their troubles for a while, though! There is something so valuable about giving everyone the chance to do just that, and I loved seeing how Lydia and her family used their local library while her parents worked to make their lives better.

The ending was beautifully written. After learning about the difficulties Lydia and her family experienced when she was a little girl, I was eager to find out more about her life. My curiosity was satisfied in the most wonderful way. It was almost as if I’d gotten the chance to meet her in real life and ask her a few questions about what it was like to be homeless at five years old. That’s how detailed and memorable those scenes were!

Dear Librarian was a joyful and heartwarming read. Anyone who loves their local library or would like to read about one woman’s true story of overcoming adversity should pick this tale up!

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to Be Kind in Kindergarten by D.J. Steinberg

September 16, 2021 By Leave a Comment


How to Be Kind in Kindergarten by D.J. Steinberg
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

From the best-selling author of the hugely popular Kindergarten, Here I Come!, here’s a guidebook in verse that shows children how to be kind in the new and exciting world of kindergarten.

Small enough to fit in a child’s backpack, this collection of short poems–one to a page–spans the entire year of kindergarten, offering sweet and simple tips on how to be your best self–sharing your umbrella with a friend; taking turns on the swings, and inviting someone to join in a game. This is the perfect companion to DJ Steinberg’s enormously successful Kindergarten, Here I Come!

It’s never too early to teach someone how to love others.

This picture book did an excellent job of showing young readers many examples of how they can show kindness to others at school. I loved seeing the wide variety of ideas the author had to share. There were examples for all sorts of kids, from talkative and outgoing ones who make friends easily to shyer children who might appreciate quieter methods of helping others feel welcome. It was also wonderful to see kids from so many different backgrounds represented in this tale. Kindness is more than just about making others feel included. Sometimes it can be a powerful way to fight back against many different types of discrimination as well!

I did find myself wishing that all of the examples had been arranged into a more defined storyline, however. They came across as anecdotes or specific moments in time instead of, say, showing a group of students learning how to treat each other kindly throughout the course of a single school day or something similar to that. If the scenes had been arranged more thoughtfully, I would have eagerly picked a higher rating for this.

The rhymes were well written. I found myself reading them out loud to no one in particular simply because they sounded so nice together. This was definitely something that works best that way, especially once I got into the rhythm of it and began to guess which words might be paired together next. It was the sort of poetry I would have loved as a preschooler and kindergartener.

How to Be Kind in Kindergarten was a beautiful reminder of just how important it is to treat others well no matter who they are or what they look like.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for September 15, 2021

September 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

NOTE: we also host the Friday Five–a fun writing prompt blog hop and would love to see you there!

Today’s topic is: Books to include in a time capsule and why

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge Tagged With: ,

Taming the Hot Shot Doc by Susan Carlisle

September 15, 2021 By 1 Comment


Taming the Hot Shot Doc by Susan Carlisle
Publisher: Harlequin
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

He’s lost everything…
Dare he risk his heart?
When renowned Chicago surgeon Matt Chapman agreed to testify against a notorious crime family, he lost his family, his fiancée and his career. Now he hopes to start again in an idyllic Mississippi town. But his efforts to keep to himself are threatened by his new boss, Dr. Shay Lunsford, who seems just as alone as he is. Dare Matt get closer to Shay and risk his heart again?

He’s a fish out of water, but he’s determined to swim.
I have to admit right off that I love the works of Susan Carlisle. I’ve enjoyed every one of her books and this one is no different. No, I take that back. This one is a little different because I loved Matt. I’m pretty sure he’s my new book boyfriend.

This story moves along at a great clip and the romance is fantastic. I felt like I was right there with the characters and honestly, I couldn’t put this book down.

I liked Shay and Matt together. They have chemistry even when they disagree. I mentioned, too, that Matt was my new book boyfriend. He’s sweet, kind and a little lost. He’s relatable. I liked seeing him grow and change through the story.

If you’re looking for a solid romance that satisfies, then this is the one for you. Packed with heart and humanity, this is a great read and you should nab a copy today.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,
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