Category: Book Reviews

Posted in Book Reviews

Jolly Roger

Posted on by Little Bee

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars

Narrator Rating: 5 stars

I received this book from Audiobook Blast (dot) com for my honest review.

I listened to this book this morning getting ready for work. It was entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud in various parts of the story. I believe the concept of the story was interesting and not one I have really listened to or read before. I like the idea of Agents going back in time to prevent the Rogue Agent Roger Turnbuckle from altering the future by providing pirates with automatic weapons of the future. My favorite character was Gus McAbee as the parrot.

Nicholas Patrella as the narrator was very entertaining. I believe he is what made this story vibrant and alive. I really enjoyed his voice and narration style.

Posted in Book Reviews

Crane

Posted on by Little Bee

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Overall Rating: 4.75

Goodreads Rating: 5

Rating Breakdown:

  1. Originality: 5
    1. Genre based ratings:
      1. Fantasy: 5
      2. Paranormal: 5
      3. Horror: 3
      4. Retellings: 5
  2. Character Development: 5
  3. Plot: 5
  4. Narration:  5

I received this audiobook from Audiobook Blast (dot) com for free in exchange for my honest review. This review is my own opinion, I have not been paid or bribed or blackmailed into giving it.

I want to point out, if this is the first review you have ever read of mine, that I do not write *book reports*. I feel that you can read the synopsis of the book on Goodreads, Amazon or Audible, and get a really good idea of what the book is about. My reviews are my opinions, thoughts and feelings, what I liked and what I disliked about the book, or in case of audiobooks, about the narration as well. I try not to give away spoilers, but in some cases, I can’t always help it. If I am going to give a spoiler, I try to state that I will give a spoiler. I do try to give clear cut examples when necessary when explaining my opinions or thoughts.

Originality:

Where do I even start in this review? It has been a while that I listened to a book that was so captivating in a way that had me completely enamoured that I wanted to listen to it until I was finished. In one sitting. Whether I was working or not, cooking dinner, washing dishes, cleaning my house. It did not matter.

Stacey Rourke writes beautifully. I liked that it bounced from past, with Ichabod,  to present, with his heir, Ireland. At first, the bouncing back and forth threw me off, but as the plot kept thickening, it began to make sense. Rourke takes the story we all know and creates this magnificent retelling into events that relates it to Ichabod’s heir who happens to end up in Sleepy Hollow after a miserable break up. As Ichabod’s story’s timeline continues, it relates Ireland’s present storyline, and then the big  AH-HA! moment occurs, and I felt like I couldn’t listen fast enough!

As far as where it lines up with other books in the same genre, this is a great retelling. I think, in my opinion, you shouldn’t mess with a classic, because it is a classic for a reason. Rourke did something absolutely amazing with Crane, however, so I had to give it a 5 star rating in the retelling section of my rating breakdown (above). Another top rating for Goodreads is that it is classified as horror, and I cannot fully see why. Yes, I guess in some aspects I can understand why it would be horrorish, but to be a “top” genre listing, I would have expected more “horror”. There was really only ONE big scene that was “gruesome”, even though there are multiple deaths/murders in the book (without giving anything away, as a reader/audience member, you are only present truly for two of the deadly events, but you only know who the Headless Horseman/Haitian is for one of them). I just dont classify that as “horror.” When I think “horror,” I think early Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K Hamilton that caused me to lack sleep at night. Or, in it’s day, H.P. Lovecraft stories. I felt the death in this book was just as exciting as the rest of the story, and when the audience finds out the AH-HA, “whodunnit” moment, it becomes that more exhilarating, because, me personally, I didn’t expect it or see it coming.  In line with other fantasy and paranormal genres, Crane has enough fantasy and paranormal aspects to keep the reader enticed and enjoy and it deserves a 5 star rating.

Character:

I think there was excellent character development throughout the entire story. Each character had their own weaknesses and growth. Ireland went through a horrible breakup, in many books these days, a 24 year old female would have sulked around feeling sorry for herself, but not Ireland. Ireland Crane got herself a new ‘do, a kickass new tattoo, a new job, moved to a new town and started a new life. Of course, her life wasn’t exactly what she was expecting. The town was sketchy and deaths started happening the moment she got there, but hey, it sure beats the life she left! Right?! I mean, a couple days after she moves in, her landlord is beheaded, she throws coffee on a really hot “maintenance man”/property owner, nearly gets fired from her job, meets the Rip Van Winkle, discovers the Horseman is out to get her AND her cheating ex fiance hunts her down trying to convince her she needs to get over seeing him sexing up on some fluzey in their bed. Ireland Crane is pretty badass in my book. And I barely even scratched the surface. However, even if Ms. Crane is the main character, she is not the only character. I couldn’t really find any flaws in the the development or character sketches of any of them. I felt each character played their importance. There weren’t really any “unnecessary” characters or character interactions.

Plot:

Crane starts out on the ground running. I can’t really think of a time where it was ever slow. There wasn’t ever really a dull moment where I was looking at the watch, thinking to myself, when is this book going to be over? All I kept thinking is, “Is Raven on Audible yet?”. (Which it is not by the way….however, the first 3 books in this series is out in book format).  The entirety of this book keeps a pace that is steadily increasing and does not taper off. It ends exactly where you expect book to begin, with the Raven stating “Nevermore.” So I am extremely excited. It is one of those books I want everyone to read or listen to! I gave the plot line a 5 star rating for the fact that 1) I didn’t get bored. 2) It kept a fast past. 3) It not only keeps your interest, but it continually peaks your interest. Rourke keeps introducing characters, items, stories, etc that you want to find out more about. 4). This book is not that long. For the audio version, it is 8 hours in length. I just listened to another audiobook that was the same length and it took me over a month to listen to. I finished it a couple of weeks ago, I am still not done with the review. I started this book and finished this book, within a couple of days (unfortunately, life happens sometimes and I can’t read or listen as much as I would like). I finished the book about 10 minutes ago and this review is almost finished. That is how much I enjoyed this book. If an 8 hour book takes me 30+ days to listen to and another 2-3 weeks to attempt to finish a review, then it probably isn’t going to have a high rating, but if an 8 hour book takes me a couple of days, and I finish the review the exact same day I finish listening? Then I probably absolutely loved it.  🙂 That is a good plot line if you ask me. An author that can keep you that engrossed in a story, is worth a listen or read.

Narrator:

I fell in love with Karen Krause. This was my first book of hers, and I do hope it is not my last. She brought every character to life. She has a true talent for voices. Each one was significantly different, that you would think it was an “all cast” production. She delivers each snarky punch line to it’s fullest extent. I loved her so much, I told her on twitter, just so she knows. I appreciate that Mrs. Krause was kind enough to provide this audiobook for free.  I look forward to the remainder of this series, and I may need to go hunt down other books she has been a part of bringing to life!

Overall:

Finally, my last words that I will leave with you. I know this review seems weird, compared to some of my others that I have written in the past, but I just don’t want to give anything away. The Headless Horseman has really never been one of my favorite stories. Truly. I remember seeing the cartoons when I was younger, and I am familiar with the story. But it was never my favorite. I haven’t even seen the Johnny Depp version (which, by the way, I got a chuckle out of the reference in Crane). Ms. Rourke has made me want to give the Horseman a fair chance. She made me want to get to know Ichabod and Katrina the same way she has allowed me to get to  know and love Ireland and Noah. So that has to say something, right? Also, the covers of these books are GORGEOUS!!!!!

Posted in Book Reviews

The Cat’s Guide to Human Behavior

Posted on by Little Bee

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Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

Narrator: 5 stars

I received this book from audiobook blast (dot) com in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book to be very entertaining. I do not own cats, but I have friends that have cats and it made me giggle the whole way through. This book honestly reminded me of my Scottish Terrier..they have very similar personality characteristics!

This was a short quick listen. The author narrates the book in a very entertaining manner that keeps you listening. I look forward to listening to more of her books!

Posted in Book Reviews

Of Ocean and Ash Blog Tour

Posted on by Little Bee

 

 

Of Ocean and Ash

 

by A.R. Draeger

 

Series: Falling In Deep, #3

 

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Cover Designer: Quirky-Bird

 

Release Date: June 9, 2015

 

 

Of Ocean…

Cast into the sea at birth, human-born Ia found her adoptive family among the merfolk. While her underwater upbringing was peaceful, Ia’s blood-heritage and the strict societal rules of the merpeople lead her to wonder of the world above the waves.

And Ash…

When a storm lands Ia ashore, she discovers her body has transformed into the human she would have been. Taken in as property by a callous plantation owner, Ia works alongside the slaves until she can make her way back to the water. There is nothing Ia wants more than to go home, that is, until she meets a handsome, troubled man named Matthias, who has a touch that can be as kind as his tongue is harsh.

Torn between two very different lives, Ia must choose – stay in his world and risk her life for a love untested, or return to the familiar arms of the underwater world that raised her and risk losing what may be the greatest love she will ever know.

Will Ia’s choice lead to happiness or her destruction?

 

 

 

Goodreads rating: 5 stars

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review, I was not paid for my review or my thoughts. These are my own.

I have to admit, I have been excited and nervous to review a book of someone I know, someone I communicate with. Granted, we are not best friends, we do not hang out on weekends or go have coffee and talk about recent trips and adventures, we do talk. Her and my mom talk. However, even though I know her, my rating still stands at 5 stars because I am here to rate her book and not her as a person (and she is pretty damn cool in my opinion 😉 ).

First, the writing is amazing and very fluid, the story has moved a long very quickly. Every aspect of this story flows together in one smooth motion, like spreading rich, creamy peanut butter on a piece of freshly baked bread. You become enamoured with Ia from the very beginning. You want her to succeed at becoming a Caller, but at the same time, you don’t want her to succeed because you want her to have the freedom to escape the likes of Ro. It is a historical romance piece, set during 1736 in the Caribbean. I believe the amount of research needed had to be immense to get the amount of detail for the different types of servitude (slavery, indentured etc). Reminds me of the picture Amber actually posted on her page, but I have seen other writers on my news feed posting lately:

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I like history, I like how it is explained in the context of the story, how it is explained to Ia, who does not understand or know the differences, because it shows that a lot of research was done to get it correct. I do not read a lot of historical romance often, and I like the paranormal and historical romance combination to create this piece.

My least favorite character is Ro. I would not want to be forced into Ia’s position where I would either have be Ro’s bride or have Ro force himself upon me and there be nothing anyone could do about it due to being a Lesser. The scene that Ia had witnessed at the beginning where Ro raped another Lesser was sad, and when Ro discovered that she did in fact see, he didn’t care and informed Ia that one way or another, she would be his.

One qualm I do have with the story, some terms I had to just kind of figure out. The mer-society Ia is a part of is interesting, and though some terms I could figure out on my own, such as Lesser, it would be nice for a small dictionary somewhere (maybe there is and I just didn’t know) where other terms would be. I gathered that a Caller would be similar to a Siren, maybe, because of my work and how much of it I have been doing on little food and sleep the past few days, I didn’t connect the dots right off on my own, but some of the roles in the mer-society, would be nice to be listed out.

I have been trying to decide my feelings on Mathias. He warns Ia of the dangers of Lord Malcom and other Overseers, but something inside me kept telling me to be mindful of him. Him being in a position of power is just as capable of hurting Ia. I feel too often, his moods are bipolar. I do like that he does care, and I can appreciate the risks he puts himself in by some of his actions. In the same respect, Ia does not fully comprehend the exact risk because she is not of land. He did grow on me, but even by the end, I still have mixed feelings with him. Men. Should have listened!

I wanted to cut Lord Malcolm. He was well written. If you want to hate a bad guy, he is written to be hated! As a reader, you wanted to kick him, cut him, punch him and come to Ia’s rescue every chance you get! (I won’t go into more because I do not want to give spoilers, but brace yourself, poor girl).

I have to admit, as I was reading, I often kept thinking of the Little Mermaid. Maybe, this is because it was my first mermaid story I read, but Ia reminded me of Ariel so often!! The first time she saw her legs after she was washed up on the shore after the storm, when she first saw a spoon to use for her soup before chores, and pretty much any other time she had any experience with a human object. I found myself hoping the entire story she would return to the ocean, even if there were aspects she did not like in being a mermaid. I know that is selfish of me. Ia was born crippled, and tossed into the ocean at birth by her father who would rather her die than try to raise her in this world as a cripple. When she was washed up on the shore, she lost her fins and gained her legs back, but they were crippled like she was at birth. Ia had to learn how to be human when she has never been human other than the few minutes when she came into existence.

In true form to my book reviews, I didn’t want to give away any spoilers, read the book. It is sooooo goood!!!! And it gets even better, like OMG amazing once it hits the climax!!! DO IT!

 

 

Click here to see all the stops on the Of Ocean and Ash Review Tour!

 

 

 

 Amazon US

 Amazon UK

Amazon CA

 Amazon AU

 

 

 

A.R. (Amber) Draeger resides in rural Texas with her husband, Josh, and son, Logan. When not writing or reading, she is watching reality TV shows or tromping through the nearby woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Book Reviews

Dead Ice

Posted on by Little Bee

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Dead Ice by Laurell K Hamilton

Goodreads Rating: 3 stars

As much as I do love Anita Blake in all of her poly glory, I really do miss when this series was more horror and gore than sex. Don’t get me wrong, the sex scenes are great and so well constructed that it feels like the reader is a part of the entire storyline, but I miss Edward, and Wicked and Truth…I miss the books that kept me up ALL night reading because I literally couldn’t put it down.

This particular installment had a back story, such as the zombies being raised and their souls being placed in it, but it was primarily based around the many men in Anita’s life. I usually don’t have an issue with it, but I think it is time to have more horror book and a bit less romance, to help balance it out. I don’t think it will damage the integrity of the series to go back to Anita’s beginnings and have some real good vampire slaying and horror that leaves you with nightmares!

Posted in Book Reviews

The Glass Magician

Posted on by Little Bee

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The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

Narrated by Amy McFadden

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars

Audible Rating: 5 stars

This is the second book in The Paper Magician Trilogy. I must admit, if you have read my review on The Paper Magician, I was glad that this story had more to it. There was an actual storyline, Ceony wasn’t stuck in a never ending scene going from one ventricle in the heart to another. Between The Paper Magician and The Glass Magician, Ceony had a lot of character development. The author shows a lot of overall development as well.

I am hoping that the budding romance will move from “hints” to full on admitting that Ceony and Thane love each other. I understand that Thane cannot admit or act on his feelings for the fact that he is Ceony’s mentor and that would be wrong and is highly frowned upon. I do, however, feel that Ceony was constantly fighting herself and the feelings she has for Thane. It is almost crippling, to Ceony and to her magic. I believe that eventually it will filter through to the point of stunting her abilities. It is hard reading a book in which the protagonist is constantly going back and forth if their romantic feelings are valid and they are constantly searching out validation in their feelings from loved ones and friends.

Amy McFadden delivered amazingly, once again. I have not been disappointed yet by an audiobook that she has narrated. She is great at delivering believable emotions and making Ceony relatable. I will continue to listen to any book McFadden narrates due to the pleasurable experiences she brings!

Posted in Book Reviews

Beauty and the Billionaire

Posted on by Little Bee

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Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

Audiobook rating: 5 stars

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.

When I first received a copy of this book, I knew that the name Jessica Clare was familiar to me. I came to discover that Jessica Clare is the name of an author that uses the pen name Jessica Sims in the Midnight Liaisons series (see my post on Beauty Dates the Beast). Upon discovering that this is actually book 2 in a series, my mother (Who LOVED the Midnight Liaisons series) pretty much bought the entire series on audiobook. So, after I listened to the first one (review to come), I was finally able to give this one a go! I ended up listening to it on Audiobook since I was away for work and it was easier.

I want to point out first, that I LOVE Hunter. I do find it creepy that he set up the entire job for Gretchen to come live with him to work on a book. At the same time, I find it kind of sweet in that weird, creepy, stalker way. So far, this has been my favorite book in this series, though it is only book 2. I think Gretchen was very forward. She is definitely someone I would want to be friends with! The entire time I was listening to this book I kept thinking to myself that Hunter is the Ramsay of this series. Ramsay was one of my favorite characters in Midnight Liaisons, and I have found, even in Stranded with a Billionaire (book 1), Hunter  has become one of my favorite characters in the Billionaire Boys Club series!

I enjoyed the story line. I enjoyed watching Gretchen and Hunter become close. I am glad that the blowup didn’t take chapters on chapters to get through. I did find myself constantly wondering when the shoe would drop. There was a lot of build up with an overall predicable, yet enjoyable, conclusion. I look forward to continuing on with this series.

If I hadn’t won this book on Goodreads, I may never have known that Jessica Sims was really Jessica Clare, and may never have gotten to enjoy this other series!

Posted in Book Reviews

Meeting God or Something Like It

Posted on by Little Bee

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Rating: 3 stars

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. This is my honest review. 

It has taken me a little while to get through this book, and now I find it hard to decide what to rate and how to rate it.

Overall, the stories were well written with beautiful imagery. Some stories really left me with a feeling of shock and awe. I like that in a story. However, I find it hard to really write a review.  The Lamb left me with a Holy. Shit. feeling when I was finished reading. I think The Conversation was entertaining. God in this story had a very humorous sense of humor. Podcasting Mercy  was probably one of my favorite stories in the book. It was a very intense conversation between a young man just out of prison and a clergyman. The young man had abducted the clergyman, blindfolded him, tied him up and over a bluetooth device, podcasted an entire history of abuse this clergyman inflicted upon numerous little boys.

Whether or not you are religious, you may or may not like this set of stories. I couldn’t really tell if if Ruvinsky is poking fun at religion, or pointing out how religion pops up randomly in people’s lives when they least expect it. Decide for yourselves if you give this book a go.

Posted in Book Reviews

My first take on a photography book review!

Posted on by Little Bee

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My Rating: 4 stars

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

Lately, I have been stepping outside of my comfort zone regarding books. I have never reviewed a book of photography before and it has been about 10 years since my last photography course in which we also learned how to critique photos. Therefore, in this review, I will not be reviewing the aesthetics, since that is a little outside of my zone and knowledge base.

One thing that I do like about this book is that it’s not all photography. I do love photography, however, it is nice to read descriptions as well. Since I have never been to Norway, the “Impressions” sections were nice. I was seeing through the eyes of the authors and photographers. So it is up to them to get me to feel like I am there. Having that said, I did come across a couple of errors/typos. On page 16, “and” should be “an” in the first sentence. On page 24, first paragraph, last sentence, I believe there is a word missing? “But thanks TO nature…”? I re-read that sentence a couple times, something just seems missing.

I wish the the photos had titles so I could refer directly to them. But my favorite photos can be found on pages 30, 32, 43, 57, 67 and 77. As an avid hiker, these made me miss the hiking season and put Norway on my list of hikes I wish to go on in the future. I also want to point out, how close the ecosystem is to that of the Guadalupe Mountains (Texas) and Mt. Wheeler (New Mexico). I presume these were taken somewhere in fall/winter, but it looks a lot like the summer time in West Texas’ Guadalupe Mountains! Nothing wrong with that. Would love to see some vibrant photos when Mother Nature is at her most luscious self!

Posted in Book Reviews

The Paper Magician

Posted on by Little Bee

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Rating: 4 Stars

Narrator Rating: 5 Stars

I first received this book through the Kindle First program but decided to listen to it instead….WONDERFUL idea!

Historical fiction is sometimes hit or miss for me, but this is definitely a hit! McFadden’s delivery captured me from the very beginning. Ceony was annoying until she finally let go of her anger about being forced into paper magic. I understand her sorrow/anger/aggravation, I’m not sure that I would’ve chosen paper magic either. That’s why she was forced.

I totally have a crush on Magician Emory Thane. If this were a movie I think Ian Somerholder would be a perfect fit.

I think Ceony was a little harsh on her quick clouded judgment on Thane and it was a nice bittersweet moment for her when she realized it and questioned how often had she done it before (because she was wrong)/

I gave this book 4 stars because, without giving too much away, I’m not sure what purpose the bulk of the book served. The specific chapters regarding when Ceony was trapped inside of Thane’s heart. I only see three purposes it served:

1) She developed a greater understanding and respect for Thane
2) A few spells she learned that helped her defeat Lira
3) How Lira became the way she is

Other than those reasons, it served no purpose. And it took up A LOT of chapters.On the flip side, it was nice to learn more about Thane.

The ending was feel-good and expected. But it was one of the few times that “expected” worked. Usually I am not a fan of too predictable of an ending. In this case, I was anxious to see how it played out to get to the ending.

I started this book with a smile and I ended it with a smile. It was magical, heart warming (sometimes heart breaking). with a dash of romance (but not romance at the same time…more of a heart opening experience). I am looking forward to the rest of this trilogy. The characters are lovable, they experience growth when growth is expected.

Amy McFadden was EXCELLENT in her delivery. Every voice and emotion was spot on. She elevated the experience of this story to a whole other level. She puts you into the scenes with Ceony. You experience Ceony’s journey like you are by her side the whole time.