Bedtime Story: My Truck is Stuck

 

Synopsis: "My Truck Is Stuck. Rotten luck. Can't go! My truck is stuck. Tug and tow. Two engines roar. But the truck won't go. Not one inch more. Does anyone know how to make my stuck truck go? In this lyrical read-aloud, young drivers are introduced to the ins and outs of hauling, beeping, and repairing -- get ready for a fun ride!"

My Review: This was a fun book. The pictures are great and Munchkin loves flipping the pages. The story kind of gets me hung up from time to time because it will start to rhyme and then a sentence will throw the rhyme and flow off, but it is still a cute story.

 

My Rating: A cute book, great for starting to count and identifying vehicles. I give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.

 

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

From the Review Pile #13

 

 

 

From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.

The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!

 

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Synopsis: "France, 1209: A Knight Templar riding through an eerie forest is suddenly attacked by an assassin as a man and woman watch from a distant hillside. When his death seems certain, the woman takes up a sword...

Present, Formula 1 race, Magny Cours: Observed by the very same couple, Conor Westfield, a career-obsessed Scottish driver, is in a horrible racing accident. Miraculously, he survives what seemed to be certain death.

As he is recovering from his injuries Conor’s childhood nightmare recurs, a strange jumble of terrifying images that feel more like memories than dreams. Can it be mere coincidence that the very next morning he is informed a mysterious woman with whom he had very brief affair has died and left him as her heir? But this was no ordinary woman and no ordinary affair. Dogged by a niggling feeling of déjà vu, Conor travels to Amsterdam to identify the body. At her home he finds an illuminated book that transports him back in time, to a woman he left behind and a life lived in the shadow of a tragedy that cries out across 800 years for resolution.

Weaving history with the present, fact with fantasy, The Knightmare is an unforgettable story of angels and alchemy, betrayal and sacrifice, and a truly extraordinary love."

 

Review of Hera, Queen of the Gods by TD Thomas

 

 

Synopsis: "The Fates are missing. Hera has no choice but to lead a handful of gods to the human world to search for the missing goddesses, even though it means giving up her powers and temporarily becoming mortal. But mortality begins to change Hera in unexpected ways, and it gets much worse after she meets Justin, a boy who defies every prejudice she once had about mortals. Torn between who she's becoming and who she needs to be in order to fulfill her duty, Hera must survive a horde of murderous creatures sent to exploit her new weakness. In the end, only she can stop a traitorous plot conceived by a secret alliance of ancient and new enemies, a plot that threatens to destroy not only the order Hera is sworn to protect, but all of existence itself.

This fast-paced, action-packed adventure plunges you into a world of myth, monsters, and magic, where no one is safe and nothing is what it seems."

 

My Review: Hmm, I am going to have a hard time with this review. I loved the concept of this book but it was just too long. I really enjoyed the characters and I felt like Hera's personality was nailed as well as the dynamic between her and Zeus. I am not really sure how I feel about the loss of their godliness over time in the book.  As I said I really enjoyed the concept behind the story, the Fates being missing and the potential disaster was the underlying storyline throughout but I felt like the search for them got a little drawn out. I felt like an entire battle sequence and the drama that went with it could have been removed and accomplished the same result, if not more of a connection to the story.

 

My Rating: I guess maybe I have gotten use to books that only take me a short amount of time to read but this was really long (I always track my reading time when using my Kindle and this one was over 10 hours). That said the characters were very strong and I really enjoyed Hera, especially at the beginning. I give this one a rating of Two Paws.

 

Hera, Queen of the Gods was sent to me by the author for an honest review.

 

You can find out more about TD Thomas and Hera, Queen of the Gods on Goodreads or his Website.

 

You can purchase your own digital copy of Hera, Queen of the Gods on Amazon

 

Pen to Paper - July

 

So this month I was a little slow on my letter writing, and I think everyone else did too. I only wrote 3 letters this month. One to a pony pal over seas in Germany, a letter to one of my many cousins, and a birthday card/letter to one of my Ink Reader Pen Pals.

 

Unfortunately, there were no letters in the mail for me this month, but it is a big holiday month for most of us and the busiest summer month (at least here in the US).  I am hoping that as the weather cools in the fall and winter that my fellow letter composers will have more time for penning a note or two.

 

 

So I have a question for you letter writers out there. Do you save the letters you receive? I save an occasional one from a family member or friend that means something significant to me.  I also save all the letters from my regular pen pals, it is kind of fun to look back every once in a while to see how much our friendship has grown and what we have discussed.  I also hope that some point down the road long after I am gone someone will come across the letters and learn a little something about me.

 

 

I hope you all have a great month and have a chance to send a letter to someone you love and bring a smile to their face!

Review of Wyoming Tough by Diana Palmer

 

Synopsis: "A cowboy through and through, ranch owner Mallory Kirk knows what it means to put in a full day’s work. But does his new cowgirl? He has his doubts that Morie Brannt will be able to pull her own weight, even if the petite young woman does seem to have a lot of spirit.

As they spar over events at the ranch and a past that threatens their hopes for the future, sparks begin to fly, and Mallory can’t help but notice Morie in a new light. But is this tough Wyoming man ready to love?"

My Review: This was so, so for me. I enjoyed the storyline and idea and I loved some of the characters, but not all. Throughout the book the author repeated herself over and over and I couldn't quite tell if she thought the reader was too stupid to remember these backstory details about the characters or if she was trying to make a word count or if they were just missed during the editing process, either way it bothered me. Also, Morie was a fantastic character, she really shone and of course I loved her; however, Mallory her counterpart was an eh for me. He didn't seem to have much of a personality, for being a tough Wyoming cowboy, he was kind of a pushover. Unfortunately his brothers who were minor characters outshone him. All that said I still enjoyed the book and will read the other Wyoming books by Ms. Palmer.

 

My Rating: Some of it was a disappointment but it really suited my mood at the time for a quick fluff read.  I give it a rating of One Paw and a Stump Wag.

Review of Tower by Jade Varden

 

You can see my review of Justice, Book 1 in the Deck of Lies series HERE

 

Synopsis: "Death brings some families closer, but it’s ripped mine apart. I wanted to convince the police that they had the wrong suspect...but I never expected them to start suspecting me. Now, I have no choice but to keep searching for the truth, even if all my relationships fall to pieces around me.

Someone is trying to make me look guilty. I never thought my mission to prove my own innocence would lead me to more family secrets. I thought I had already discovered the truth about myself. But every answer raises more questions, and everything I think I know is about to change...again.

I have to find the truth, no matter how much it hurts -- before I get charged with murder."

My Review: Wow, wow, wow! I get totally absorbed in these books! I never expected to enjoy mystery books, or ones that are almost soap opera like, but I really can't get enough of this series! We continue to follow Rain after the conclusion of Justice. I kind of missed having River there but he was always on everyone's mind and hovering in the background. Gosh, I can't help but wonder is this really how the well off families live? With constant lies and cover-ups? Tower really sucks you in and keeps you turning the pages as more and more twists arise leaving you as puzzled as Rain. Varden drops little details through out the story that slowly start to be pulled together, but still really making you think and guess and then doubt your conclusion. Of course then there is the ending . . . . Yup I must now download the next book, immediately!

 

My Rating:  Wow, such a great follow up to the first book in the series! I usually grow more and more disappointed as I read later books in a series but not here.  Even though things got a little soap opera like, I was totally absorbed and eating everything that Varden was putting out in Tower! Definitely a Four Paw book for me!

 

Tower was sent to me by the author.

 

Justice was sent to me by the author for an honest review.

To find out more about the Deck of Lies series and Jade Varden please visit her Goodreads Page or Blog. 

 

You can obtain your own copy of Tower and the whole Deck of Lies Series in either print or digital format on Amazon or in digital format on Barnes and Noble

 

Lets Get Personal: Flare for Writing

So last month on my Pen to Paper Post I mentioned my odd collection and obsession with unique stationary. So when I pulled out my letter writing box for this months letters I decided to snap some quick pictures of what I had in there.

 

So I really enjoy quirky paper that I find, and I try to pick the stationary that I think suits the letter and the receiver.

 

First I have the more formal paper for my classier letters.

I honestly never know which end to put at the top so it varies haha

 

And then I have my fun and funky animal paper

 

 

Of course I have to have all kinds of pony themed paper

  

 

And since most of the time I am writing someone about books I had to have some that were book themed

 

 

And Last but not least this stunning paper I found but only a limited amount that is so perfect for pen pal writing

 

I know I have a lot more paper than that but these are the varieties that I have currently in my writing box.  I am always looking for new and different paper too. My favorite places to look are Amazon and Etsy! If you ever are looking for something unique and can't find it, just let me know and I will check my stash or hunt you down that perfect touch to your letters ;)

 

 

  

Monday Reading List

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Share what books you have finished in the last week, are currently reading and what might be coming up next!

Reviews Posted Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

 

Rory by Ciye Cho
Ugly Beautiful by Seanpaul Thomas
The Napping House (Bedtime Story)

Books Finished Last Week:
Reviews will be posted at a later date

Rory
Tower
Ugly Beautiful
Wyoming Tough
Sleep Softly

 

Currently Reading:

Dark Chatter by Andrew Branch - Kindle - 17%
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto - Audio - Chapter 5 of 33
Hera, Queen of the Gods by TD Thomas - Kindle - 48%
The Tale of the Taconic Mountains by Mike Romeling - Nook - On Page 32 of 389


 Books to be Read Soon:

 

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (Mental Illness Advocacy Challenge)
The Rockin' Chair by Steven Manchester (Requested Review)
Faceless by Dustin Sanchez (Requested Review)
Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione (Series Challenge)
Wyoming Fierce by Diana Palmer (Audio Challenge)

 



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Wow! Talk about reading last week! Finally! I am so glad I finally got my butt kicked into gear and got some reading done, and a bunch of requested reviews too, still lots more to go though.  I just hope I can keep this up for a couple more weeks :)

 

My visitors left last week and I finally have Munchkin back to myself (well and Hubby) and I have to say while it was nice to get a little break, I really kind of missed him. Want a cute picture to get you through the week?

 

Happy Reading Adventures!

 

 

 Oh and I wanted to share my favorite post of the week with all of you too . . .How to Win a Viking's Heart on For the Love of Reading