Review of Rougarou by Judith Ann McDowell

Rougarou

Judith Ann McDowell

*I purchased a copy of this book. I received no compensation for this review. All opinions are mine.*

Book Blurb:

Everyone who lived in Saint Anthony Parish, Louisiana grew up hearing stories of the old Hindel Mansion . The one cast in shadow and sitting alone. Of late-night howling on nights of the full moon.
Parents listened and nodded as though in complete agreement with the strange happenings. Later they would laugh and shake their heads over the wild imaginings of today’s youth.
Then a family named Rawlins moved into the mansion and within days the laughter turned to a cold and paralyzing fear. 
Now another child has disappeared from the mansion and Detectives Hays and Olivier’ know they need to move fast before they have another bloodbath on their hands.
Will they be in time to save this child?

Masterful storytelling! This book was a surprise for me. I was expecting a paranormal romance with some untidy bits. What I got was a compelling, exciting, tension filled, terrorizing, atmospheric paranormal horror, romance thriller. Hot biscuits! How did the author manages to pull this off?

Well she thought up a story that grips you from the start, locates it in an area steep with mystery and adds a cast of characters that are well written. Then adds surprises.

First surprise two of the main characters, (Jack and Donovan), are male friends/partners who aren't gay. I really love how the author portrayed this friendship between partners. The banter and love between them was exactly the type I see and hear between my brothers and their best friends. Second surprise she was able to make me sympathetic to the rougarou, (werewolf). Since he viciously murders a child, (actually two), as well as a dog, (I am a dog lover), I would not think it possible for me to feel any sympathy for him. Yet I did. Kudos Judith Ann Mcdowell. Along with the rougarou is Chandra. The woman who is the center of the romance in this book. The mixed feelings that Jack had were, in my opinion, accurate. As was the grief experienced by the murdered girls parents. Each of these characters are well written as are the supporting characters.

The author painted scenery with her words. You can feel the heat from the Bayou and picture the creepy mansion as well as the cave. You feel the eyes watching you as you venture into the mansion.

Though the story flips from now to flashbacks, back to now and off again and a few times scenes changed abruptly I felt the author kept the story flowing at the perfect pace.

I am planning to begin Rougarou II this weekend.

Due to language, graphic violence and sex I would recommend the book to adults.

Other books by Judith Ann McDowell:

 

  

You can find out more about Judith Ann McDowell and her books at:

Amazon

Goodreads

Facebook

Website

Review of Zombie Cruise

Zombie Cruise 

Janiera Eldridge

*I purchased this book. All opinions are mine and are based upon my honest feelings while reading the book and afterwards. No compensation was received for the review.*

I came across this little gem while the author was promoting another book on Facebook. Being a total zombie freak, I immediately purchased it and read it. What a delight! Here is my review.

Holy crap! You are on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean when you wake up with a child looking to you for help. What you discover is the ship is filling up fast with zombies. Not only that but these are not your average slow moving people chompers. These freaks are fast! What an original and terrifying idea for a zbook. Actually a zseries as the author states she is following this story up with more nightmares - how cool is this? The best part is that the author was able to pull this off. The story was terrifying. The main characters were realistic. It was a tight story. I am truly looking forward to the installment to this series. This is a short story so please do not expect a book. It is a zbook so expect what you would find in one. I would recommend it for teens and up. I do recommend it.

I totally gave the story 5 stars. It had me glued to my KFire. I have since purchased the Soul Sisters Book 1, which is about vampires. I am hoping it is as good as Zombie Cruise.

Here are Janiera Eldridges other books:

   

Don't they all look great? 

Here are the links to check out Janiera Eldridge:

Her Blog

Facebook

Amazon

Goodreads

Horrifyingly Good

CHECK OUT WHAT IS  BEING RELEASED FRIDAY!!

!

How cool does this book look? 

Here is what people are saying about it:

“In THE HUNT FOR THE GHOULISH BARTENDER, Charles Day brings a wicked sense of fun and a real talent for wild horror-fantasy adventure. Weird, crazy and totally enjoyable!” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times Bestselling author of ROT & RUIN and FIRE & ASH

"Charles Day adds to the Weird Western genre with HUNT FOR THE GHOULISH BARTENDER, a funny, tense, surprisingly philosophical, and first-page-to-last *fun,* the likes of which we haven't seen since Joe Lansdale took us back to the early days of Mud Creek. This is top-notch entertainment, with action that comes at you like bullets from a six-shooter in the hands of Billy the Kid. You *will* hate yourself if you miss this. Not to mention piss off a certain bartender who shall remain nameless ...." -- Bram Stoker Award-Winner Gary A. Braunbeck, author of TO EACH THEIR DARKNESS, ROSE OF SHARON and OTHER STORIES, and A CRACKED AND BROKEN PATH.

Another book Book By Charles Day

Kindle Version

I recently read this book. Here is my review:

This is a wonderful Halloween tale! I could imagine it being read aloud over the course of a few nights. This book would definitely have made the cut for The Halloween Family Read, (THFR is the event that happened every October when my children and I all slept in the same room and read our favorite spooky stories aloud). The characters in the story were all interesting and easy to relate to. Most of us grew up with a bully and an elderly person who was not the friendliest to children in our neighborhoods. I also had the spooky house and of course listened to legends. This book was comfortable because I had that setting but it also had the right amount of spooky to make you want the lights on until you can get to the store and buy a pumpkin to keep you safe. The story reminded me of Goosebumps so fans of that series will love this book. I can see this being made into a Halloween show.
Parents there is some cursing in the book. Nick the main character is 17 so 'thought' curse words happen. I do not recall him actually using them. He has a little sister and the natural rivalry is there along with sibling love. He still obeys his parents though has his own thoughts about it. In other words the author did an excellent job portraying the family. The old lady also used minor cursing but over all it was not a major stumbling block. The cursing is in there far fewer times than a lot of YA books I have read. There is some violence as there is a bully situation. I thought the author also handled that realistically. There was no sex scenes though there is some crushing going on.
If you are looking for a book for a child I think younger teens and preteens will enjoy it more than older teens. If you do family reads this book will be enjoyed by all,(sometimes older teens just need permission to like something they think they are too old for).

Here are a few of the books he has contributed a story to: 

       

 

There are even more books to be found on his blog. Charles is also The Evil Jester. You can check out the Evil Jester comics, ( you can even watch a video) by clicking the comic link. 

You can friend him, fan him and follow him at these places

Blog

Comic

FaceBook

GoodReads

Amazon Author Page

I Love Jenni Rivera

WE LOVE JENNI
An Unauthorized Biography of Jenni Rivera
Marc Shapiro
Charlie Vazquez

(I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for review. The review reflects my honest thoughts about the book. No compensation was  received.)

I loved Jenni Rivera. I love her music. To me she was a strong Latina. She empowered women. She gave the impression she really cared about her fans. This book confirmed that. I felt that it gave a true accounting of Jenni. Jenni Rivera, like all of us, was not a perfect person. The book does not try to make her one. I felt the authors of the book gave us an honest look at Jenni and her life.  She was someone who made mistakes but got back up and kept going. This is what I took from her music. I was happy to see that in this book about her. I would recommend this book to not only fans of Jenni but to those curious about who she was. It is an interesting and fast read.

In case you have not heard  Jenni Rivera 's music:

One of my favorites Basta Ya
YouTube/Vevo

RIP Jenni Rivera

Adventure Awaits with Tahir Shah

Happy Father's Day!

In honor of Father's Day I am going to review a book that I think is perfect for a Dad or a Grandpa to share with their children/grandchildren. 

 

Scorpion Soup

Tahir Shah

(I do not know Mr. Shah. I received a copy of Scorpion Soup from Holly at Tribal Publishing. She asked me to read it and write an honest review of what I thought. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts in my review are how I honestly feel. I would like to thank Holly and Tahir Shah for the beautiful book and the opportunity to review it.)

O.M.G. This book blew me away. It was so good I had to give away two copies, (not mine - they will need to rip my copy out of my cold dead hands if someone wants it). This book is amazingly beautiful. It is a book that makes a wonderful present. It is a book that if you leave it on your table your guest will have to pick it up. And they will not want to put it down. Spread throughout the book are maps. I delighted as much in these beautifully drawn maps as the stories. The stories. *insert huge sigh* Oh the stories! They are adventures that you will be drawn into. They will come alive in your mind and you may find yourself going back in time. Back to childhood where you begged just one more story. Back to a time when stories took you to lands far away where you met exotic people who had unbelievable things happen to them and had they a moral to them. You will be enthralled with Scorpion Soup, reading with eyes wide open, your mind and heart racing. You will finish a story and want another even though you have things to do. And then when you sleep, just as you had as a child, your sleep will be filled with rich dreams where you revisit the stories you read earlier. Scorpion Soup is a magical book written by a master dream weaver. I want to tell you my favorite part of this book but when I try I just keep coming up with so many things. The stories that weave a spell making it impossible to pick just one favorite. The maps you can, and will, pore over imagining the world you read about and making up your own adventures. That brings us to another best - the stories and maps incite your imagination. To me, that is the sign of a master storyteller. Not only do you get lost in his words but you begin adding to them or just dreaming a whole new adventure. True storytellers inspire and that is something Tahir Shah does well. The final "best" part of this book? It is a book to be shared. It is a book to read during family read hour or as bedtime stories. It is a book to tell friends and strangers about. If you think this is a book you will read once and then put it on a shelf to get dusty you will be proven wrong. Since I received this book I have gone back and read it again and once again. Most likely I will start it again before the summer is finished and I know, during the winter, I will probably read it again. There are very few books I do this with. After all there are thousands of books I want to read and thousands more that will be written. There is just something so comforting yet exciting about Scorpion Soup that makes me read it over and over. I hope you will get this book. If you have children read it with them. If you have grandchildren what a wonderful book to share with them, especially if you live far away. What could bring you closer, across the miles, than listening to Grandma or Grandpa reading this story over the phone or on Skype?  How wonderfully loved your grandchild will feel hearing a bedtime story from you. There is violence in the book so I would read it first to judge how the child would react. In thinking back to my children, I would have started the book with them when they were 8 or 9. 

I took these photos of the maps for you, (sorry about the quality), to give you idea of how cool they are.

I also want to tell you a few of the names of the stories to fire your imagination, ( I know after all this you will want to know where to buy the book. Don't worry links are coming). The Shop That Sold Truth, Frogland, The Clockmaker's Bride, The Man Whose Arms Grew Branches and The Singing Serpents. Yes, I know your imagination is going wild and you are going to kill me soon without the links so here they are.

Kindle Edition (which is great for grandparents who want to read to the grandchildren and send the hard copy with the impressive maps to the children).

Hardcover Edition

Tahir Shah has more books, one of which I am poring over now. Here is his collection, starting with the Timbuctoo, (the book I am immersed in).

this book is available in a Kindle Edition but I highly recommend investing in the Hardback. Trust me. You will want this in hardback. 

   

  

  

You can find his books, (in several languages), on his Amazon page 

You can follow him at http://www.tahirshah.com/

Watch some amazing videos, (some about his books and writing. Some about things we need to know) on his YouTube page

LinkedIN

Twitter

FaceBook

Pinterest

GoodReads

At Tahirshah.com you can also sign up for RSS Feed and email. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Now go get the books and tell me what you think. 

Put This On Your TBR Now

COMING SOON!!

Gwynneth Ever After 

Linda Poitevin

*I received this book from NetGalley for review. No compensation was sought or received. Opinions of this book are my honest thoughts.*

Summary: Gwyn Jacobs doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Ever since her ex-husband walked out, leaving her alone with three small children, Gwyn has been mother, father, and bread-winner all rolled into one. Her own scarred heart aside, she refuses to open up her children’s lives to the possibility of another heartbreak, and so she has an unbending policy of no dating and no unattached men in their lives.

Until her very own fairy tale falls into her lap...and the hero won’t take no for an answer

My review:

I LOVED This book. I read an excerpt on the author's web page and was impressed. Actually I was caught up and desperately needed to finish the story. The author let me know it was available on Net Galley and I immediately requested it. I read the book every moment I had free. Okay I stayed up until I finished it, (I am writing this at 4:20 AM). This is a light romance between a single mom of a three and a famous Hollywood actor. She has issues that deal with her husband abandoning her and the children which translates to lonely but not looking for love and one night stands are not happening. He has an ex-wife who convinced him to let her have sole custody of his daughter, a decision he regretted immediately but she forced him to keep. Our couple meet accidentally while he is in her town waiting to meet the daughter he never had a chance to know. His ex is in total control of that meeting - or so she thinks. This isn't your typical let's rush into everything romance. The single mother issue is taken seriously. It was interesting to read the actor's side of things too. I did wonder if the author had personal knowledge of how a celebrity's life can be or if she just thought it up. Either way I thought she did a great job. I admit to thinking of a certain actor while reading it. There are two points of view, some steam towards the end, (though not really graphic - it was tasteful steam), fun family scenes and enough tension that I was pulled to keep reading. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever crushed on an actor or been a single mom trying to date without dragging the kids through that process.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for letting me read and review this book.

You can friend Linda Poitevin on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.
Read her blog at http://www.lindapoitevin.com/

Here are books by Linda Poitevin you can check while waiting for the romance of the summer.

  

Sins of the Angels

Sins of the Sons

Look for Book 3, Sins of the Lost this fall! 

The Grigori Legacy is a dark urban fantasy. A homicide detective who knows there is a Heaven, a Hell and what is in between, earth with all her people, stuck in the center of the war. A Guardian Angel who doubles as a Hit Man. A Fallen Angel with one agenda...the apocalypse. Who will win? Which side will you choose?

Broken Wings

BROKEN WINGS (Book #2 in the Hidden Wings Series)

Blurb:

Emma’s world is falling apart, and Kade, the only one who seems to hold her together, is missing. With death lingering right outside their door, decisions must be made before it’s too late.

The Midway has refused to send help, so they are left to seek out the only other who can stop Lucian.

A perilous quest sends Emma and a few Guardians into the Underworld, where the unimaginable abide, to beseech the Prince of Darkness himself. Lucifer.

Now, they must endure the deadly levels of Hell, which not one …mortal or immortal… has ever survived.

Prepare for love, loss, and the unexpected.

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17301746-broken-wings

Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D4KN9BK/ref=as_li_ss_sm_fb_us_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=399837&creativeASIN=B00D4KN9BK&linkCode=shr&tag=junigrov-20&=books&qid=1370075903&sr=1-5&keywords=Broken+Wings+Cameo+Renae

Hidden Wings (Book #1)

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/HiddenWingsSeriesebook/dp/B00B27GAC2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3

On Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15757099-hidden-wings

  

Blurb:

Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise. As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm, and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.

Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.

A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously, captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

My Review of Hidden Wings 

Descent (Hidden Wings Novella)

 On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Descent-Hidden-Wings-Novella-ebook/dp/B00CSEJ386/ref=la_B004X2PEH0_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369536854&sr=1-3

On Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17794709-descent

Blurb:

Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise. As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm, and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered. Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is. A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously, captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

 My Review of Descent 

Author Bio:

Cameo Renae was born in San Francisco, CA, raised in Maui, Hawaii, and recently moved with her husband and children to Alaska.

She loved reading from as long as she can remember, and it was C.S. Lewis' - Chronicles of Narnia – which sparked a fire in her soul and made her want to create her own wondrous, magical worlds and characters to go on adventures with.

Her published books are In My Dreams (A YA Paranormal Romance Thriller), Hidden Wings (Book  #1 in the HW Series), Descent (A HW Series Novella) and Broken Wings (Book #2 in HW Series).

One day she hopes to find her own magic wardrobe, and ride away on her magical unicorn... until then... she'll keep writing!

Cameo’s Links:

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CameoRenaeFanPage?ref=hl

Website: http://cameorenae.com

Author blog:  http://cameorenae.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4794993.Cameo_Renae

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CameoRenae

My review of Cameo Renae:

I first met author Cameo Renae not long after this blog started in 2011. I met her when I was offered the chance to review her debut novel, In My Dreams, (my review here). I follow her on her blog and Goodreads and Twitter but am most involved with her on Facebook. She is one of the most genuine, caring and friendly authors I know. I truly appreciate the way she treats her fans. She interacts with her fans and I believe values them. I know a lot of authors have FB and Twitter to share with fans. And that is what they do. I am not knocking them as I follow them and appreciate their posts. However Cameo goes a little further. She answers you and will comment on things you post that interest her even if it is not about her books. She is a special person and a wonder author. Follow her for a new experience with an author. Read her books for an entertaining escape into fantasy.