L.J. Shen writes the dark, dirty secrets of Prescott and Nate as they attempt to right the wrongs done to them by the drug lords of Central California. Prescott and Nate both guard their emotions with a tight lock and key, but true love has a way of shattering the shackles and opening one’s doors. If you like the dark, dirty, romance Blood to Dust fits the bill.
B.T. Urruela’s debut solo novel addresses several deep taboo issues with a realism untouched by most author’s. The small town politics and blue-collar culture truly help build the plot around Xander and Paige. Xander’s touched me as it was a reminder that some of my students come from the very background Xander describes. These brushed under the carpet ugly truths slowly unfolded along with Xander’s ultimate sacrifices. Paige also resonated within because too many woman seem to have it all on the outside but lack the self-confidence to demand things for themselves. This lack of confidence leads them to the wrong situations, which they too brush under the carpet. Xander and Paige learn from one another how to maneuver through these tough situations, but they encounter the ultimate test of love and making it to happiness is the most difficult challenge.
Into the Nothing tackled many issues I was not expecting. I enjoyed the twists and turns and inner monologue’s used as the characters worked through the taboo issues brought about within the work. This is not a typical HEA romance, and it takes a dive into the emotional stresses one’s childhood brings back into play as an adult. I enjoyed the raw nature developed in the characters which really drove home the major themes. The book reviews are up on Goodreads and Amazon if you need to dive deeper before grabbing your copy.
Truth be told, I’ve read this now four times. My first read through was simply a perusal of an author I’d read two earlier works from and enjoyed the light-hearted bantering which followed through in his pieces. The Matriarch, by Sloane Howell, blew me away from the get go. He holds nothing back. The blended genre style was so different from the other two pieces I’d read. I needed to get down and dirty to dissect this little masterpiece a bit more up close and personal. Which is why the next three readings took place! Most likely not the last either.
Maggie is the epitome of the rising Phoenix. Yep she went through hell, left heaven and landed in the devil’s soup kitchen. Yep, she was a product of human trafficking. She has quirks of course, but she represents the underdog, rising to stick it in the a$$ of the big power. She still has a piece of her goodness left, which shows in her desire to seek normalcy on some level. The setting between the light home city and the classic juxtaposed Gotham makes it that much richer. Without a doubt, I nerded out on the raw vulgarity of the situation and how it developed through the eyes of Maggie and her young immature eyes. If this story placed Maggie in her forties totally different feel obviously, which her being young and feisty just built it up even more.
If you’re up for a totally mind-blowing superhero read that will knock your socks off grab this gem and settle in for a wild ride.
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Neal Shusterman’s Unwind is the ultimate dystopian genre piece of modern times. His twisted concept of where a life begins, ends, or continues to live over time is warped and wonderful. He raises the hairs on the back of the necks of his reader’s as they delve deeper into the issues post the second civil war. I’ve now read it multiple times, and each time I find new literary author moves used by Shusterman which absolute fascinate me.
Sadly, each of these marks and stickies are a trade mark of my reading and processing. With the recent transition over to digital forms my annotation obsession continues. I often go back to those annotations as I’m getting ready to read a new work by an author I’ve read before or rereading a piece I’ve loved. It is a nerdy confession to admit. I like to annotate and reflect on those author’s craft maneuvers which really up the ante on why I enjoy a book. This also helps me as a writer develop a voice, showing detail, or maybe dialectical dialogue sections I’ve struggled with. There are multiple works I’ve read 5, 7, possibly 10 times to process each crafty move unveiling the plot right under my nose. I may not be the highest level grammarian, not my favorite part of English, but hot diggity if I can’t dissect and pull out all those subtleties in the literary structures development! Confession session over and now I’m off to read and write!
Lauren Rowe delivers a tale which is hotter than the Magic Mike phenom. She follows the young Keane Morgan, or stage name Ball Peen Hammer, as he discovers who he really is underneath the skin, sweat, and swag. His counterpart, Maddy Milliken has her sights set in documentary film making, but she too needs a little kick-start in discovering who she is as a whole person not just a film maker. Get yourself on over to Goodreads or Amazon, read the reviews and invest time in reading Lauren Rowe’s amazing tale of these two bantering, sexy souls!
Celia Aaron works her magic on the gridiron in her new release Kicked. She weaves her magic and love of football through the lives of Cordy and Trent. Of course you cannot have a true Aaron work without the sassy verbal exchanges, insanely steamy encounters, and a depth in character building which only Aaron delivers on a silver platter. Enjoy your summer with a little preseason read!
Meghan Quinn wins the gold with her new release Stroked. From start to finish her sassy style hooks you right into the twists and turns of Olympic hopeful Reese King and his road to the 2016 games. Along the way Paisley causes his stroke to skip and creates a wave of unexpected challenges, which King must face before getting back in line and swimming for the gold. Reese’s contractually agreement with reality show star Bellini Chambers only adds to the stress for King. Quinn’s hilarious over the top peek into the world of high-class athletes, high snobbery reality television entities, and the behind the scenes folks who take care of these difficult personalities is down right priceless. Quinn cannot possibly write the next two follow ups fast enough!
Over the last several months I made the conscious effort to start writing reviews of all the works I read. Coming up with this decision wasn’t without a long thought out plan. Deciding to write reviews cultivated out of hours of thinking about what I expect out of myself as a writer, what I expect of myself as a reader, and what I expect from the folks who intentionally choose to read my works.
As a writer the purpose of composing a piece is formed out of two roads. The first being to formulate your thoughts about a prompt or idea and conveying the message to an intended audience. I often write short pieces to share with my national writing group for growing as an educator, and also practicing certain author’s craft structures I’m working on. They are really my sounding board for improving small areas of my writing. We’ve all been together for almost two years discovering how to grow as writers and formulate ways to teach those ideas to students. The second road and purpose for writing is to get these people who wake me in the middle of the night, and talk to me during important meetings, out of my head and onto the paper. These people, settings, action pieces, and all sorts of other goodies, which roll around in my mind, relax more when I write often. This is where I check what I write in longer works and test out my ideas on my betas. I love the positive feedback, but I also crave the constructive criticism from them. This constant connection loop of write, edit, review, revise, edit more, and so forth is the end game when the betas finally come back with a “Oh My God, I need more. What’s next? Hurry up, I don’t care if it is perfect, I need to know.” These feedback loops help me grow as a writer.
As a reader I enjoy the result of someone’s hard work and sharing in the fruits of their labor. Years ago there were so few outlets to express to an author how much you enjoyed their work. The red tape it took to get a letter through was mind-boggling. If an author traveled for signings it was difficult to advertise where they might be and when. With the internet and social media the entire world of the writer-reader, reader-writer relationship transformed. Ultimately, there are infinite ways to show an author how much you enjoy their work, and maybe some ways to show an author things which would make their craft better. We teach the feedback loop in the classroom but often forget how important they are in the real world.
This brings me to why, as an inspired novelist, I feel a deep connection with writing reviews for the things I’ve read. I want to celebrate with the author’s I’ve read. I want them to gain more readership because this allows them to continue writing, which in turn keeps me reading. I also want them to know that somehow their voices, which were screaming to get out of their head, conveyed a message, which touched me in some way. The purpose of publishing a work is to share. If you don’t know people are enjoying your work then what is the real point of bringing a work out of the saved file bank? I save constructive criticisms for personal notes or instant messaging with an author (which I rarely read something that I feel compelled to write a negative about). No author intends to publish something terrible. Too many hours exist in a day to waste intentional time writing crappy works. My two big criticisms usually fall in mechanical structures or a rushed ending. Besides those issues, there is value in everyone’s work, which needs celebrated and enjoyed by more readership. Therefore as a writer and reader I whole heartedly committed myself to making the effort to write and share, as well as read and review. Everybody should get a chance to read a work and if one little review I write prompts someone I know to pick it up and dive right in, then I’ve done my job to help make the reading-writing, writing-reading continuum travel full circle.
David Michael tells details about the dirty nature of the porn industry in the modern era. From social ostracization to attempting building trust worthy relationships within the porn industry which keeps its people close and its secrets closer. Porter has it all figured out, until Holly Nash crashes his scene. Please check out more Porter and click buy while you are at it!
Kendall Ryan surely does not disappoint with her second installment of the Hitched series. She’s developed all the right hooks to keep Noah and Olivia moving through the inheritance clause. The only hitch is Olivia, although a thorough business woman, did not read the final lines of the contract. Noah wants more than a marriage contract, he wants the true love of his life to commit to the life long marriage. He wants the dream. Noah’s struggles with telling Olivia the dark and dirty final lines of the contract, because he truly wants Olivia to fall in love with him. Olivia’s focus is the company and its long term survival. She does her best to keep Noah at a distance, but her walls are falling. Will she figure out the bottom line of the contract and agree?
Bravo to Ryan on the second installment. The third installment is due out early August!