June 11, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Update by Caroline

Hello readers, you may remember a couple of weeks ago we were nominated for The Liebster Award by Sabrina at The Urban Book Thief. Over the last week we have also been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by Sarah Colliver, an author and keen photographer! Thank you, Sarah! We are very grateful and will be posting more info on this in the next week or so!!!

Last Week

Since our last update we have posted reviews on the following books:-

Borderland Beauty (The Borderlands Legacy #2), by Samantha Holt – a sensual, medieval romance

The Mating (Law of the Lycans Book 1) by Nicky Charles – a paranormal werewolf romantic suspense

The Purple Haze, a short story by Gary Richardson – a short zombie horror story

Ways to See a Ghost by Emily Diamand – a young adult Sci-Fi/Paranormal adventure

We also posted on Caroline’s favourite authors/books

Mere Enchantment

We have also heard that for a limited time Alicia Rivoli’s Mere Enchantment, Book 1 of a modern-day magical fairytale, is FREE on Smashwords. Go and grab yourselves a copy!

NEW RELEASE:- Tim O’Rourke’s Moonbeam will be available on Amazon from Wednesday 12th June 2013! Moonbeam is the second book of The Moon Trilogy. You can catch my review of Moonlight (Book 1 of the Moon Trilogy) here. We will be reviewing Moonbeam in the next few weeks!

THIS WEEK on A Reader’s Review Blog

Mulberry (The Organization #2) Over the coming week or so I will be reading and reviewing the crime thriller Mulberry (The Organization Book 2) by SJ Sprague. The first book of the series, A Presence in Russell County, was a very good read. The series concentrates on The Organization that has the power and authority to bring down corrupt officers of the law and sentence them quickly and justifiably.

I will then be reviewing Hidden Agenda, a crime thriller by Peter Burman. More to come on this one soon!

We also have reviews from Tina on Sarah Colliver’s ‘The Peggy Rodman Series’ with ‘Echoes From the Past Part One – Harry’ and ‘Echoes From the Past – Eloise’! Tina also plans to read ‘Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark, Book 1) by Gena Showalter during the next week!

To tie in with ‘Ways to See a Ghost’ by Emily Diamand, Tina will be posting a short story, ‘The Woman who Floated Above the Hedge’, from PJ Hodge, author of Freaky Folk Tales.

If there is anything you would like to comment on or recommend to us, please feel free to do so. Have a great week, guys.

Caroline 🙂

June 11, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Ways to See a Ghost by Emily Diamand

A Fun and Dramatic Young Adult Sci-fi/ Paranormal Adventure (11yrs+)

In Ways to See a Ghost two teenagers, Isis and Gray, are brought together during strange circumstances, in which thereafter their parents start dating. In many ways, as well as being a paranormal adventure, this book is a fun read, with Gray’s father, Gil, believing in many different conspiracies relating to UFO’s and the Government, and Isis’ mother, Cal, working as a psychic! However, Isis can see the ghost of her dead, little sister, Angel, and has been able to do so since the terrible ordeal that took her. Isis has never been able to tell anybody that she can see her sister, but this is all about to change since she has formed a friendship with Gray. The drama heightens when Cal, Isis’ mum, joins the Welkin Psychic Society where the intentions of its leader, Philip Syndal is not as they seem. Isis and Gray begin to piece the jigsaw together but will their parents believe them? Will they be able to prevent the danger that lies around the corner?

The reader instantly feels for Isis. She has lost her little sister in a terrible accident, her mother has taken a downturn because of the distressing situation and to make matters worse, Isis can see her sisters ghost and feels that she cannot tell anyone for fear of being labelled as crazy and/or creating more problems for her mother. In addition to this, Isis doesn’t support her mother’s psychic work and this causes a rift between the two at times.

It was Cal’s psychic work that brought Isis and Gray to meet. Cal was visiting a client, Sondra, for a psychic meeting to try and work out where Sondra’s boyfriend, Norman Welkin, was. Meanwhile Gil, Gray’s dad, worked as a gardener for Norman and had taken Gray with him. Whilst in the garden, Gray came across Isis, sitting on a bench, waiting for her mum. Words were exchanged between them before the raised voices of Sondra and Cal could be heard. Trying to get back to her mum, Gray showed Isis a short cut through the garden, when they discovered the body of Norman Welkin.

This discovery really opens the story out as it was confirmed that Norman had died from natural causes. However, Gil with his theories disbelieves this. How can a man be found frozen in Spring as the temperture begins to rise? Gil automatically believes that there is a cover up and that the circumstances are suspicious. Meanwhile, Cal is invited to join the psychic society that Norman had set up. Cal, although dating Gil at this point, is taken in by Philip Syndal, the society’s leader, and worships the ground he walks on. Isis sees through Philip’s charm and between Angel’s ghost, Isis and Gray they begin to work out why Philip is so interested in Cal!

My favourite character is Gray. I love his sense of humour and the manner in which he explains happenings and the descriptions of people. He is full of wit and so honest – maybe a little too honest at times, but this is what makes him so funny and likeable! If he thinks that something is plain rubbish he says exactly that. A couple of examples, whilst in the garden at Norman Welkin’s house he notices Norman’s girlfriend, Sondra, through a window:-

“…I looked through the window into their living room, but there was only Sondra, his girlfriend. Not like that sounds, because she’s really old, as old as him……..She was as weird as him….”

Gray goes on to explain Sondra’s artwork:-

“She said she was an artist, but she showed me a couple of her pictures once, and they were all…swirly and mixed up. Rubbish, I thought.”

Despite Gray’s honest and sarcastic side, he also shows empathy towards Iris and helps her in times of need when no one else will or can. This is quite a sweet side to him, although I bet he’d hate me to say that!

Although both have their own reasons for being isolated from the other kids, Isis and Gray can, overtime, be sympathetic towards each others differences. Isis didn’t want to open up to Gray as she feared his reaction would be to laugh and make fun of her. And yet as they become closer, Isis does decide to open up to Gray, who ,soon enough, has reason to believe her, making him the only one aware of the full story – Isis and Cal’s angle and his father’s UFO theory. Emily Diamand has approached both characters with the reader feeling quite sorry for them as well as making it fun with Gil and Cal at complete opposite ends. It’s surprising that they got together! The story and characters are exciting and interesting. And it is great how it can be witty and funny one moment, scary and creepy another and then dramatic and sad in other parts.

I really liked two of the supporting characters, Mandeville and Stu The Keeper! Mandeville is a ghost that regularly reaches out to Isis. Even though she really doesn’t want him to, I like the idea that she can see him and other ghosts and the settings in which she can see them at times is brilliant. And Stu The Keeper is a great, fun character. He is a friend of Gil’s who is also very serious about conspiracy theories – even moreso than Gil. He visits Gil from time to time with his anorak on to disguise himself, carrying his laptop that has The Database saved and between them they cross reference their findings and discuss in secret what they believe is happening. It is quite hilarious at times!

Whilst Ways to See a Ghost is planned for release next month, July 2013, there is a sequel planned for 2014. It would be great to see how Isis and Gray’s relationship grows further and leaves me wondering what adventure they will be going on next!

Look out for Tina’s review of Ways to See a Ghost over the coming weeks!

Ways to See A Ghost was received gratefully from Templar Publishing in return for an honest and fair review.

Other works by author, Emily Diamand, are Flood Child (2009) and Flood and Fire (2011)

Cover art by Ben Kovar

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

June 9, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Caroline’s favourite authors/books

Although, always a keen reader it wasn’t until 2010 that I begun to read novels continuously. Since then there have been certain novels, series and short stories that have really stood out for me – some dating back before A Reader’s Review Blog was created. I thought I would take a moment to reflect on some of my favourites, in the hope that some of you will be intrigued to try them out or offer any thoughts you may have on them. Below you will find the 5 authors (Tim O’Rourke, C.J. Pinard, J.R. Ward, Jonathan Hayes and Gary Richardson) and their books/series that have definitely had an impact, along with links to any reviews I have written and some extra pieces of trivia.

TIM O’ROURKE!

The first book I read of Tim’s was a young adult paranormal novel, Vampire Shift (Keira Hudson Series One, Book One). I hadn’t long bought my Kindle and I purchased ‘Vampire Shift’ as it was on offer at the time. I absolutely loved the novel and began to download the rest of the Keira Hudson series. If you love vampires, lycanthrope, dramatic horror, with profound characters and amazing storylines you will love this series. It was reading Tim’s books that inspired me to write lengthier reviews as his book were so exciting, so full of life and made me feel like I was living in the story. In a big way, I have Tim to thank for suggesting that I write a blog! Vampire Hollows (Kiera Hudson, #5) So far, I have only read up to Dead Wolf (Keira Hudson Series Two, Book Five), however my personal favourites thus far have been Vampire Breed (Keira Hudson Series One, Book Four) and Vampire Hollows (Keira Hudson, Series One Book Five). Absolutely amazing work – Tim has also been busy working on a Graphic Novel for Vampire Shift, which I have just recently won a signed cover for, and he has also released podcasts of Vampire Shift which can be downloaded FREE from iTunes!

Not only has Tim blew my mind with his Keira Hudson series, I then began to read Witch (Sydney Hart Book One), Moonlight (Book 1 of the Moon Trilogy) and Vampire Seeker (Samantha Carter Book One), and I have to say I have loved every one. My all time favourite has been Vampire Seeker (Samantha Carter Book One). I have many more of Tim’s books to read. Below is a list of Tim’s books that I have read – click to see my reviews! Aside from the books below, Tim has also written the Black Hill Farm series, Doorways series, plus additional books to the Keira Hudson series, Sydney Hart series and soon to be released the second book of The Moon Trilogy, Moonbeam!!!

Vampire Shift (Keira Hudson Series 1, Book 1)

Vampire Wake (Keira Hudson Series 1, Book 2)

Vampire Hunt (Keira Hudson Series 1, Book 3)

Vampire Breed (Keira Hudson Series 1, Book 4)

Wolf House (Potter’s Story) (Kiera Hudson Series 1 Book 4.5) – novella

Vampire Hollows (Keira Hudson Series 1, Book 5)

Dead Flesh (Keira Hudson Series 2, Book 1)

Dead Night – Potter’s Secrets (Keira Hudson Series 2, Book 1.5) – novella

Dead Angels (Keira Hudson Series 2, Book 2)

Dead Statues (Keira Hudson Series 2, Book 3)

Dead Seth (Keira Hudson Series 2, Book 4)

Dead Wolf (Keira Hudson Series 2, Book 5)

Moonlight (The Moon Trilogy #1)

Vampire Seeker (Samantha Carter #1)

Witch (Sydney Hart #1)

C.J. PINARD!

Enchanted Immortals (Enchanted Immortals, #1) As well as a fantastic editor, C.J. Pinard is also an amazing author. Enchanted Immortals is a paranormal fantasy that follows a group of immortals whose job it is to protect the sylph and humans from the vampires and shifters. To become and remain immortal they need an elixir ‘Enchantment’, provided by the sylph, at regular intervals. Enchanted Immortals has the darkness and direction of J.R. Ward’s style with the great imaginative and fantasy style of Laurell K. Hamilton! There are four books in the series and so far I love Enchanted Immortals (Book One) and Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre. I love how these novels travel back and forth from the present to the past – into the lives of the Immortals before and after they became immortal!

Book 4, Enchanted Immortals 4: The Vixen has recently been released and I am hoping to review this very soon! It will be a shame that this series has ended but I am aware that C.J. has more work in the pipeline! I cannot wait to read more of her work. C.J. was very kind and had written an author post for A Readers Review Blog to coincide with our review on Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre. I would also like to thank C.J. for her kindness and support. I have reviewed the first three books of the Enchanted Immortals novels, which you can find below by clicking on the links!

Enchanted Immortals (Enchanted Immortals Book 1)

Enchanted Immortals: The Vortex (Enchanted Immortals Book 2)

Enchanted Immortals: The Vampyre (Enchanted Immortals Book 3)

J.R. WARD!

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1) Before Tina and myself begun A Reader’s Review Blog, we were both completely hooked on J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It is a dark paranormal/urban fantasy series about a band of 6 vampire warriors who live mostly apart from the main population and are defending their race against the slayers. Each novel focuses on a different brother, however there is a whole story flowing throughout the series. It is very action-packed and violent with scenes of passion, drama and an extremely in-depth story. Tina and myself couldn’t get enough of this series and we were meeting up weekly spending most of our time talking about the characters, who we loved, what we wanted to happen, etc. It is disappointing that we have not reviewed any books from this series, however I am positive that we will return to this series at some point to write reviews. I did write some very basic reviews on Goodreads, but as they were prior to the blog they are quite brief.

JONATHAN HAYES!

Jonathan Hayes made an impact on me way before the blog began. I read his debut, Precious Blood and the sequel A Hard Death. Both books are crime thrillers following a medical examiner, Edward Jenner, who is forced out of retirement after a horrific murder has occurred and then the victim is found to be that of a serial killer. I loved these books as Jonathan Hayes actually is a forensic pathologist and therefore, has firsthand knowledge and I think he illustrates this beautifully in his books. I also liked the character’s name – being a fan of history at school Edward Jenner is also the name of an English physician and scientist who discovered the vaccination for smallpox! Again, my reviews on these novels are very basic as they were written before I considered a blog but they can be found on Goodreads and below:-

Precious Blood. Jonathan Hayes My review on Precious Blood :- A very fast-paced and chilling thriller. This was an excellent debut for Jonathan Hayes. Before I had even read the book I was aware that the author was a forensic pathologist. The detail of the investigation is profound and obviously from a man with common knowledge of this expertise, however the way in which the novel is written enables many readers to take it all in and become understanding and captivated by it all. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to find that the author has written again. I’ll definitely be looking up more of his books in the future!!!

A Hard Death:- After reading the first instalment of Jonathan Hayes’ Edward Jenner character in Precious Blood I was very excited to read the sequel. At first, I must admit I found it more difficult to really get into this one. However, I do think that it was largely due to the setting. New York (setting of Precious Blood) does appear to be more of a dangerous, dark setting than sunny, holiday-like Miami. Therefore, there seemed to be more crime, terror and other happenings in Precious Blood. But A Hard Death is a good novel and as it goes on it does get better and better and better. The story goes deeper, with references to the last book, and there are twists in the last half of the book. It was well worth a read and I will definitely be interested in reading more of Jonathan Hayes’ novels. Hopefully, there will be more Edward Jenner to come!

GARY RICHARDSON!

Gary Richardson wrote a short story, The Purple Haze. It has been a story that I have never forgotten, starting off as a bank job going wrong and being caught by the police to an action-packed horror with zombies pursuing the survivors of what appeared to be a gas attack! Over a year has passed and yet the story is still quite vivid. I love the way how it is written, like The Sweeney (tv series) turns into The Walking Dead (tv series) or even similar to that of ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ (movie) as it begins quite realistic and turns all of a sudden. I’d love Gary Richardson to write more on this subject and similar subjects.

The Purple Haze

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about my favourite books. If you are interested in crime thrillers I could also add Val McDermid (author of The Wire in the Blood series – also a tv drama). I find that Val McDermid does a great deal of research when writing her novels and although I read them prior to the blog they are very powerful and unforgettable – as is LR Potter’s The Hourglass Killer trilogy! If you would like to offer your thoughts on any of the above we would love to hear your comments.

Caroline Barker

June 9, 2013 by Caroline Barker

The Purple Haze, a short story by Gary Richardson

The Purple Haze If you are a fan of the movie ‘Dawn of the Dead’ or a fan of the tv series ‘The Walking Dead’ then this is certainly a novel for you to read. I find it even more intriguing, being English, as it is set in England.

This short story is very exciting from the very beginning. If you imagine a bank robbery scene from ‘The Sweeney’ tv series, this is how the novel begins. However, a few chapters into the book and it completely changes into a horror/zombie type novel. It actually reminds me a little of ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’. One moment it is a crime/thriller and the next it is some action-packed horror. I found this to be an exciting, fast-paced read with well written characters and a well thought-out plot.

Also, because of the turn of events, it forces characters to work together when they should be opposed to each other, i.e. bank robbers working with civilians and the police, etc. This adds another layer of tension amid the main story.

Some could say a negative about this novel is that similar stories have been written, but if you are interested in this type of story I would urge people to read it.

I also like the fact that the author, Gary Richardson, has written a couple of pages at the end explaining where the idea came from for the novel and how it became a part of his life.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

I have been meaning to post this review on A Reader’s Review Blog for a while. Written prior to our blog being created, I have decided to post my original review as it is written with the feelings I had at the time of reading ‘The Purple Haze’ and this short story is one I haven’t been able to forget!!! You can find ‘The Purple Haze’ on Amazon UK for 99p or on Amazon US for $1.54!

June 5, 2013 by Caroline Barker

The Mating (Law of the Lycans Book 1) by Nicky Charles

‘The Mating (Law of the Lycans, Book 1)’ is a powerfully dramatic and beautifully written paranormal werewolf romantic suspense novel. It had me gripped from the very beginning, and what’s more – it’s free! The main character, Elise, has just been mated to the Alpha of a neighbouring pack, however this was not her choice of mate. Between her father, The Elders and Kane, the Alpha she is mated to, it was decided it was in the best interests of both packs to have these two young people mated to create a political alliance between the two packs and help maintain the wolves territories.

The reader initially feels sad for Elise, being forced into such an arrangement, without anybody caring for her feelings. There are very passionate and sensuous love scenes between two people that may not even be right for each other, and yet the wolf’s instinct inside takes over. Kane reaches out for Elise, taking into account that she’s in unfamiliar territory and unsure of the whole situation. This helps the reader view Kane in a good light, realising that he too is in this predicament but willing to be caring and positive towards Elise and his future with her.

However, to make matters worse, Elise had formed a closer relationship with her longtime friend, Bryan. Elise had grown up with Bryan and so he is familiar and comfortable and she loves spending time with him, roaming the woods and running free. They were on the verge of taking things to the next level when the whole issue of being mated with Kane arose. As it was agreed by so many, so quickly Elise and Kane were mated that night, leaving a whole bunch of questions and emotions swimming around Elise’s mind. How was Bryan feeling about this? Will she ever grow to love Kane, or will their relationship just be physical? Does she have it in her to be an Alpha-female?

That being said, despite the uncertainties, I’m sure many a woman wouldn’t mind having Kane as their Alpha and mate with his domination, possessiveness, and love – not to mention his dark floppy hair, rippling muscles and his whole sexiness!!! Throughout the whole mating process and thereafter, Kane is very sensual and passionate and both of their animalistic instincts kick in when it comes to their physical relationship. I thought Kane was a hot character (if you haven’t noticed already!) who tries in his own way to make Elise feel comfortable and when he isn’t too busy being the Alpha of his pack he does take the time to empathise with the situation that Elise is in. He understands that she is lost when she leaves her pack to stay with him and his pack, surrounded by strangers who are quite possibly sizing her up and making up their own minds on whether or not she can live up to her status as their Alpha-female.

Throughout the novel there is the ongoing worry of the Oil Company and how their decisions will affect the pack and their land. I love how Nicky Charles keeps the reader involved with this plot, despite concentrating on the main characters and their personal relationship. At around three quarters through the book Elise begins to write down all of the recent serious problems that the pack have been having and who the problems are associated with to try and piece the puzzle together. There are the main suspicions as to who is behind the trouble but the question is why. With Elise making these lists it provides the reader with an update on the goings on, keeping the reader constantly aware of the whole story. I thought this was written very cleverly.

Aside from Elise and Kane, there are many other great supporting characters in ‘The Mating’. One of my favourites being Helen. Helen was the Alpha-female prior to Elise and she lost her mate and Alpha, Zack, in an awful car accident. Helen still lives in the Alpha house and takes pride in cooking and hosting for guests. She provides Kane with a motherly figure and offers a great deal of advice to Elise which really helps Elise to feel welcome and accepted in her new pack as the Alpha-female.

On the opposite end of the scale, the reader becomes acquainted to Marla. Marla is calculating, jealous and manipulative. She has a history with Kane and also his half-brother, Ryne. Marla loves reminding Elise regularly that she knows Kane better than her and tries to manipulate Elise in order to get what she wants. She is a great villainous character that the reader will just love to hate. I can assure you that Marla will get under your skin.

The reader’s knowledge of Ryne throughout most of the book comes mostly from what we are told by Helen, Kane and Marla. After Zack’s death he wished to be Alpha of the pack and challenged Kane to fight for the position. Once Ryne lost the challenge, although being asked to stay as Beta, he decided to leave the pack in the hope of starting his own! But, Ryne is hot-headed, impulsive and strongly wanted the position of Alpha. And it was really since Zack’s death that the pack began having so many troubles.

The whole story comes to a powerful crescendo and is very dramatic. It reaches the reader on all levels of emotion throughout. Will the pack’s problems be resolved? Will they be able to prove who was behind their troubles? How will this affect Elise and Kane’s relationship? Will they find love or will their relationship remain purely physical?

I would like to thank one of our followers for suggesting this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it! And guys, this novel is absolutely FREE, available on Amazon UK, Amazon US and Smashwords. Enjoy! I cannot wait to read the sequel, ‘The Keeping (Law of the Lycans Book 2)!

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

June 3, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Update from Caroline

Hi guys, we hope that you are all enjoying a great book at the moment. It would be fantastic to hear what you are/have been reading recently! I’m sure many readers in the UK have been enjoying the rare sunshine we have been having and soaking up the sun as well as a good story over this beautiful weekend.

So, last week at A Reader’s Review Blog we have had a great response for our Liebster Award nomination, thanks again to Sabrina from The Urban Book Thief for nominating us. If you haven’t had a chance to read some fun facts about Tina and myself, along with some answers we gave to some trivia questions, please check it out here. We have also announced the winner for our Werewolf Themed Wish List competition – congratulations to Emma Lynch! Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. And, in regards to reviews, we have posted our double review of Ann Logan’s ‘Charades’. This is a fantastic romantic suspense and thriller, involving love, deceipt and a great adventure across the globe and back with car chases, threats, kidnapping and murder, along with fantastic characters and a story that stretches back to the Second World War! At A Reader’s Review Blog we were also privileged to have author Shannon A. Thompson to write an author post to accompany Tina’s review of Shannon’s ‘Minutes Before Sunset’ novel. ‘Minutes Before Sunset’ is the first book of a young adult paranormal romance trilogy which tells of the elemental power struggle between dark and light.

THIS WEEK

At the moment I am currently reading ‘The Mating (Law of the Lycans, Book 1)’ by Nicky Charles, which was recommended to me by one of our followers. Thank you! It is an excellent novel which ties in with our ongoing werewolf theme perfectly! As a Lycan herself, Elise is falling for her friend, Bryan. However, a pack nearby her fathers territory has just been taken over by a new Alpha, Kane, who is looking for a mate to help create an alliance between the two territories. As Elise’s father is her packs Alpha it is he who makes the decision, along with Kane and The Elders, for Elise to become Kane’s mate. Within a day Elise is mated and living with Kane! Where does that leave Bryan? Will she ever feel anything towards Kane? Can she live up to her Alpha’s expectations? I am loving this novel already and only a quarter of the way through! Look out for my review later in the week!

My following read will be ‘Ways to See a Ghost’ by Emily Diamand. Received by Templar Publishing gratefully in return for an honest and fair review, ‘Ways to See a Ghost’ is a young adult paranormal adventure, in which a young girl, Isis, the daughter of a charlatan psychic, can see ghosts! She has to try to use her ability in order to protect her mum from being led astray by the leader of an elite psychic society of which her mum joins! Gray, the son of a UFO-chasing conspiracy theorist, is there to help her with her quest! I will hopefully be posting my review soon, with Tina’s to follow shortly after!

Meanwhile, Tina will be having a family break this week, however she will still be posting her review of Samantha Holt’s Borderland Beauty, a Medieval Romance! Tina’s next reads will be from author Sarah Colliver’s ‘The Peggy Rodman Series’ with ‘Echoes From the Past Part One – Harry’ and ‘Echoes From the Past – Eloise’ (alongside which we will also have an author post to accompany Tina’s reviews)! In book 1, Peggy, a likeable normal housewife, is struggling to cope with the recent death of her mum. Coming across a secret hideaway she stumbles across Harry – a lost spirit in need of help from someone special –that someone is Peggy. Peggy is taken on a journey of discovery-a journey which awakens a part of her mind that has lain dormant, waiting it seems for this very moment. It will change her life forever. In book 2, we find Peggy as she attempts to re-join the world of work. Out of the blue she finds herself thrust back into her secret role as detective in order to help Eloise, a young lady from the 1890s who once worked at The Moreland Match Factory in Gloucester. Can she help Eloise to untangle the web of deceit which has bound her to an earthly existence? Will she be able to finally lay her to rest? Another journey of self-discovery for Peggy as she perhaps realises that her own life is not quite so bad after all….

That is all, for now, so until next time Happy Reading, guys! 🙂

Caroline, ARR

‘Charades’ cover art by Bri Bruce

‘Minutes Before Sunset’ cover art by Grace Griffin, Autumn Fog Photography

May 28, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Nomination for the Liebster Award

As mentioned in our update, A Reader’s Review Blog has been nominated by Sabrina at The Urban Book Thief for the Liebster Award! Thank you, Sabrina! Bloggers pass on this award to new bloggers if they feel that their blog is worth viewing, but have fewer than 200 followers! This allows bloggers to promote each other in a fun way, which I think is quite cool! To accept the award we must list 11 facts about ourselves, answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated us and also nominate 11 other new blogs for this amazing award! Hehe! As a little bit of fun, Tina and myself have decided we would both post 11 facts about ourselves and answer the questions from Sabrina! So, without further ado, below you will find the 11 facts about ourselves, answers to The Urban Book Thief’s questions and a list of the 11 blogs that Tina and myself have nominated for the award.

11 Facts about Caroline

I never wanted to read a paranormal novel, thinking they were unbelievable. How wrong was I?!
My favourite subject at school was history.
I have never had a filling.
I got my partner into running when we first met, deciding to start jogging. I stopped after a few runs and yet my partner runs 2-3 times a week, runs fun runs and has taken part in marathons, including the London Marathon! Twice!!! He has been doing this for 12 years!
My favourite colour is blue.
I enjoy watching the Snooker World Championships and love watching Ronnie O’Sullivan play. He has won the title 4 times now, 3 of which were the years my children were born!
I used to be an avid music fan of most rock/pop acts and my knowledge was fairly good. I was called a ‘walking encyclopaedia’ at school! These days I am heavily into tv programmes, such as The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, Hell on Wheels, Breaking Bad, Lie To Me, Scrubs, True Blood, The Walking Dead, Boomtown, Southland and more recently Elementary and Chicago Fire! (To name but a few – there are many, many more!!!)
For the last 3 years, until very recently, I was attending my friends Zumba classes 2-3 times a week. During some of these classes when I was needed I would take to the stage myself and help guide the class with some of the moves through the tracks! Very embarrassing and nerve-racking but great fun!!!
At my first high school Sports Day I won the 400m race for my team, competing against some really great cross country runners! I am not a sporty person and so I am quite proud of that one! Couldn’t do it again though! Hehe!!
After being the second from last out of my class to learn how to swim, I am determined to encourage my kids to learn, or to take part in other sports of their choice, to help with their confidence, self-esteem and socialising just as much as the physical exercise and well-being! I am very proud to say my 8 yr old daughter has achieved her 1km in swimming and practising for her lifesaver badge!
My favourite actor has got to be Clint Eastwood. As well as his westerns, such as A Fistful of Dollars, and his action cop thrillers, such as Dirty Harry, I was brought up watching him in Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can! From High Plains Drifter to Gran Torino, from Play Misty For Me to The Rookie he’s just fantastic!

11 Facts about Tina

I like watching historical re-enactments, knights in shining (or tarnished) armour being my favourite.
In researching my family history I have found many surprising facts, such as some Irish ancestry, criminal ancestors and an MP.
I proposed to my husband in a leap year, after making sure that he had drunk enough El Presidente cocktail to sink a ship. I am normally quite shy and retiring, but I wanted to be sure of success!
I am a liberal minded parent – my two girls rule the roost. I am banking on the fact that they will keep me in luxury in my retirement, as some research has found that this is the best way to foster genius. My excuse for lack of discipline!
My fave holiday destination ever was my visit the US touring the San Francisco and then going inland to take in the many national parks.
My star sign is Sagittarius. I was once heavily into astrology and cast my own natal chart.
I nearly always prefer the book to the film.
I believe in a superior being, but I think that it is more likely to be female than male.
I believe that there are other sentient beings out there in space watching us and I have a secret wish to be abducted by a handsome alien and whisked off to the stars.
I will often annoy my family by singing very loudly to the original soundtrack of War of the Worlds.
I am not a feminist and prefer to celebrate the differences between the sexes.

Below are mine and Tina’s answers to The Urban Book Thief’s questions:-

Qu 1. Chicken or the egg – choose!

Tina: The egg – if only because it has got to hatch out of something!

Caroline: The egg definitely, as the chicken could possibly be a cross-breed.

Qu 2. How did you come up with the name of your blog?

Tina: I can’t claim any credit for this one – it was Caroline’s excellent idea!

Caroline: I thought it was simple, to the point and I always like onomatopoeia!!

Qu 3. Which one of your posts/book reviews was the most fun to write?

Tina: Evi Rabi’s Gringa: In the Clutches of a Ruthless Drug Lord.

Caroline: Vampire Seeker by Tim O’Rourke. I wrote it with a great deal of passion as I loved the book. It is one of my favourites!

Qu 4. What did you eat for breakfast today?

Tina: Chopped apple and natural yoghurt.

Caroline: Coco Pops

Qu 5. Where are all the baby pigeons?

Tina: I think they must hatch fully grown as I’ve never seen a baby one, although we get lots of adult pigeons in our garden. Perhaps they have been abducted by aliens and returned to Earth fully grown to spy on us?

Caroline: Maybe the baby pigeons age quickly so we never get to see them as babies. Or maybe they are invisible and can only appear when fully grown. This needs to be investigated!!!

Qu 6. What are you reading right now?

Tina: Borderland Beauty, a medieval romance, by Samantha Holt.

Caroline: Charades by Ann Logan.

Qu 7. Which book character do you simply love the most?

Tina: Barrons from Karen Marie Moning’s Fever Series. If you have read it you will know why!

Caroline: I quite like Harry from Vampire Seeker right now!

Qu 8. Which is your favourite book series?

Tina: JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. The series just gets better and better and her vamps are HOT.

Caroline: Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. This dark series focuses on all characters, each with their own characteristics, and the whole plot is packed with everything you could wish for.

Qu 9. Ninjas or Pirates – Choose!

Tina: Ninjas – I have always wanted the ability to dodge the raindrops as I hate the rain.

Caroline: Pirates for me as they seem to be naughty, crafty, cheeky and great characters. When I think of the word ‘pirate’ it reminds me of Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Ninja reminds me of the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ with theit great big rubber outfits! Hehe!

Qu 10. If you could have a supernatural power what would it be?

Tina: To shapeshift so that I could take on the appearance of someone else – just think of the fun getting access to places usually verboten and seeing or hearing what goes on! Either that or an invisibility cloak!

Caroline: I was going to say to read minds but I’m not sure. I would love to be a vampire for a while though!!

Qu 11. What’s black and white and red all over?

Tina: A newspaper with the measles.

Caroline: A zebra with a suntan.

Now for our 11 nominees for the Leibster Award:-

Books in Transit Blog

Candy Coated Book Blog

If the nominees above would like to take part, they too would need to list 11 facts about themselves, answer our 11 questions from below and nominate 11 other new blogs (with fewer than 200 followers) as well as ask them 11 questions. Our 11 questions for the nominees above are as follows:-

What inspired you to begin a blog?
What is your favourite book genre?
Where is your favourite place in the world?
If you could be an animal, which animal would you be?
Which animal scares you the most?
Which musical instrument would you love to play?
Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?
Who is your most favourite author?
What is your favourite meal?
If you could be a tv/film comedy character of your choice, who would you be?
If you were to write a book, which genre would best describe it?

May 26, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Update from Caroline

Hello, readers! I hope you are enjoying the bank holiday, the sunshine and your novels! 🙂

Last week I reviewed Alicia Rivioli‘s modern-day fairytale adventures, ‘Mere Enchantment (Book 1)’ and the sequel, ‘Rings of Enchantment (Book 2)’. In this Enchantment series, at the same time as being in a strange, magical land with dragons and wizards and trying to learn their own abilities, Preston, Chloe, Jason, Megan and Zach fight to be reunited again and to free the Kingdom of Mere from the traitor, Jacan and his army! Along with my review, Alicia also took some time to write an author post. Thank you, Alicia!

Meanwhile, Tina has reviewed a contemporary romance with Helena Fairfax‘s debut novel ‘The Silk Romance’. We would also like to thank Helena for also taking the time to write an author post to accompany Tina’s review.

In regards to our werewolf theme we have put together a list of recommended paranormal romance books featuring werewolves and we are also hosting a Werewolf Wishlist competition, asking for readers to provide us with a title/titles of any werewolf-themed books that you have read or been recommended, in return to have a chance at winning a £5 Amazon Voucher (or the equivalent currency). To enter please visit our competitions page to leave your comment/suggestion. All suggestions need to be posted by Wednesday 29th May 2013. Thank you and good luck, guys!!

Our True Crime page was also added to our site. The book reviews that I add here will be saved only to the True Crime page and will not be posted on our main page due to the fact that they do not tie in with the majority of fictional books we read and review and because of their sensitive nature. However, as and when I review a book for this category we will mention it in our updates and possibly write a short post with the link.

On a more fun note, A Reader’s Review Blog has been nominated by Sabrina at The Urban Book Thief for the Liebster Award! Bloggers pass on this award to new bloggers if they feel that their blog is worth viewing, but with fewer than 200 followers! To accept the award we must list 11 facts about ourselves, answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated us and also nominate 11 other new blogs for this amazing award! Hehe! As a little bit of fun, Tina and myself have decided we would both post 11 facts about ourselves and answer the questions from Sabrina! More to come on this later this week!!!

Which leaves us with books that we are reading and reviewing this week! Well, Tina will be reading the recent releases ‘Minutes Before Sunset’, a Young Adult paranormal by Shannon A. Thompson, with which there will be an author post, and ‘Borderland Beauty’ by Samantha Holt. In the meantime, I have some catching up to do as I have just begun Ann Logan’s ‘Charades’. Tina and myself are hoping to post a joint review of this novel this week. My next book will be either ‘The Mating’ by Nicky Charles or ‘Ravaged (otherwise known as ‘Overwinter’)’ by David Wellington (which is the second book in David Wellington’s Werewolf series). Overtime, I will review both books. You can find my review of David Wellington’s first book in his werewolf series ‘Cursed’ (otherwise known as ‘Frostbite’) here.

Have a fab weekend. Caroline 🙂

‘Mere Enchantment’ cover art by Danijel Firak

‘The Silk Romance’ cover art by Charlotte Volnek

May 25, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Author post: Alicia Rivoli

Mere Enchantment Writing seemed like a simple idea. I had the story, & the ability to type, so what could possibly make it a challenge?

This question has plagued me for the last 8 years. What started out as a dream that I decided to write down has turned into a wonderful battle. Writing is anything but simple. Having an idea is just the beginning. Getting it to come to life for others to enjoy is something else entirely. After finishing Mere Enchantment and realizing that having it published traditionally was just not in the cards, my husband came up with the plan to try self publishing. For a long time I didn’t like the idea, thinking it would destroy my chances of being published “for real”. After a while I agreed, and it has been a fantastic journey.

Self publishing is definitely not for the faint at heart. It is extremely difficult and requires hours and hours of your personal time and funds. Between marketing, publicity, and getting the book ready for the public, it is a full time job. Even with all this work, I’ve discovered my complete love for sharing my stories with the world. Thanks to social media, and big name companies offering “self-publishing” deals, my dream has been brought to life.

As I finished the final book of The Enchantment Series, I am understanding that the last 8 years I have spent among the land of Mere with all the wonderful characters have been some of my best. As I’m getting ready to say goodbye to those characters and move on to the next adventure I’m finding it bittersweet. Chloe, Preston, Megan, Jason and Zach have been a constant thought, always in the back of my mind, always moving forward.

Rings of Enchantment (The Enchantment Series, #2) The final pages of Rings of Enchantment were extremely challenging for me to write as I knew it was goodbye. With each click on the keyboard, my heart swelled with joy, but also with despair as I closed the chapter of my life that I’ve known for so long. I express my sincere gratitude too all the people that have enjoyed the journey with me, including all the readers and fans.