Finding Lucas Review

I loved absolutely EVERYTHING about this book. I literally devoured it in one sitting. I can't believe that this is a first attempt by a new author - where has she been hiding all this time?

The characters were likable, believable and endearing. I could often see myself in a lot of similar situations or could at least understand where the character was coming from, even if I had never been in that exact situation myself.

I was extremely happy that this book was not predictable though I suspected at the beginning that it might be. It was anything but formulaic and it definitely kept me entertained, hooked and longing for more!

Please please please go out and read this book - you won't regret it!

Samantha Stroh Bailey has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen. In fact, she even sent her first manuscript, Freddy the Flame, to publishers when she was ten years old. Sadly, it was rejected, but a lifelong passion to write was born.

After 15 years of teaching ESL to adults, including at the University of Toronto, she decided to live her dreams of being a fulltime writer and editor. Now the owner of Perfect Pen Communications, she not only gets to write novels, but also writes and edits for magazines, websites, businesses, students and other writers.

Her work has appeared in Now Magazine, The Village Post, Oxford University Press, Abilities Magazine, on Mommyish.com and many other publications. Samantha also has a Master of Education in Applied Linguistics. 

She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children. Finding Lucas is her first novel.

Connect with Samantha!

Twitter: @perfectpen

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Samantha-Stroh-Bailey/420736011289684

Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832614.Samantha_Stroh_Bailey

Goodreads Finding Lucas Page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13641194-finding-lucas

Blog: http://samanthastrohbailey.blogspot.ca/

Buy the Book!

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Lucas-ebook/dp/B007VIIU6A/ref=la_B007YAN1SC_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346787522&sr=1-1

Don't Let Me Go Book Review

Another fantastic book by a wonderful author! I literally read this book in one sitting and I guess it was a blessing that I had a bout of insomnia last week so I could do so. I had a lot of trouble imagining putting this book down even to go to the bathroom so I just didn't.

I have been acquainted with this author's work for a long time having read some of her previous books and it was great to see that she has kept up the amazing quality of her tales and maintained also that wonderfully human side to things that just doesn't really exist in very many places.

I loved the fact that an unlikely "community" of people banded together to help one child. It was a heartwarming tale and one that I would like to think could possibly exist in this world. The characters were complex and you really got to know them and feel for them as they all had their trials and troubles.

I can't wait for the next book of Catherine's and feel so blessed to have been able to enjoy her talent once again.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of 18 published and forthcoming books.
Her newest releases are When You Were Older,  Don’t Let Me Go, Jumpstart the World , When I Found You and Second Hand Heart. Forthcoming is Walk Me Home (Transworld UK, Spring 2012). 

Other newer novels are Becoming Chloe, Love in the Present Tense, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, Chasing Windmills  The Day I Killed James, and Diary of a Witness. 
Both Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart the World were included on the ALA’s Rainbow List.  Jumpstart the World was chosen as a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards, received a third place Rainbow Award for Young Adult/Coming of Age Fiction and a tie for first place in Bisexual/Transgender Fiction. Love in the Present Tense enjoyed bestseller status in the UK, where it broke the top ten, spent five weeks on the national bestseller list, was reviewed on a major TV book club, and shortlisted for a Best Read of the Year Award at the British Book Awards.

Older works include the story collection Earthquake Weather, and the novels Funerals for Horses, Pay it Forward, Electric God, and Walter’s Purple Heart. 

Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than 23 languages for distribution in over 30 countries.  The mass market paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller.  It is still in print, and was rereleased in a trade paperback edition in April of 2010.

More than 50 of her short stories have been published in The Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, The Sun and many other journals, and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories  and California Shorts and the bestselling anthology Dog is my Co-Pilot. Her stories have been honored in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and the Tobias Wolff Award and nominated for Best American Short Stories, the O'Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize.  Three have been cited in Best American Short Stories.

She is founder and former president (2000-2009) of the Pay It Forward Foundation. As a professional public speaker she has addressed the National Conference on Education, twice spoken at Cornell University, met with Americorps members at the White House and shared a dais with Bill Clinton.

 Connect with Catherine!

My website: http://www.catherineryanhyde.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cryanhyde

Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/crhyde

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catherine-Ryan-Hyde/55974126195

Google+: https://plus.google.com/104995498482118293003/posts

Tumblr blog: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/catherineryanhyde

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cryanhyde/


  Buy the Book!

 ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Let-Me-Go-ebook/dp/B00896POTO

 paperback: https://www.createspace.com/3909105

The Undiscovered Novelist Book Review

The Undiscovered Novelist was a short novella about two women's lives and how they related to each other. The characters seemed quite realistic while some plot points seemed to be very conveniently working out. However, I did enjoy this book as it was exactly the right length for the story it wanted to tell and the author definitely has a talent in telling stories that will captivate the reader.

Sarah Bridgeton never thought she would become a novelist. She has always loved books, but in college she majored in Economics. After college, she held a variety of jobs in the insurance and health care industries. She left the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom when her daughter was born. When her daughter started preschool, she decided to write a novel.

She currently resides in Tampa with her husband, daughter, and two cats. When she’s not reading, writing, or taking care of her family, she likes to exercise.

 Connect with Sarah!

Website: http://www.sarahbridgeton.com/

Buy the Book!

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Undiscovered-Novelist-ebook/dp/B0087G5YXW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346607039&sr=8-1&keywords=the+undiscovered+novelist

Barnes & Noble link:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-undiscovered-novelist-sarah-bridgeton/1112032859?ean=2940014577588

Free Gift With Purchase Book Review

What a great little book. And I only call it little because I was able to race through it in a few hours this past Saturday night. Perhaps it's actually not so little but really just that amazing that I couldn't put it down and read my heart out. 

I loved everything about this book. The characters seemed utterly approachable and normal. They had issues and worries like everyone else (or maybe even more) and there was a lot of witty repartee that I truly enjoyed.

I'd definitely recommend this book and the loveable characters to everyone and I'm definitely going to be checking out Jackie's other books asap.

Jackie Pilossoph is also the author of Jackpot! and Hook, Line and Sink Him. She is a freelance corporate and newspaper reporter, and columnist for the Pioneer Press. Pilossoph holds a masters degree in communication from Boston University, and is currently working on her fourth novel.

Connect with Jackie!

my website and blog: www.jackiepilossoph.net

facebook page: www.facebook/jackiepilossoph

twitter: @pilossophsbooks

Buy the book!

 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=jackie+pilossoph&sprefix=jackie+pilosso%2Caps%2C194

Rum Punch Regrets Book Review

Rum Punch Regrets was a book that I really enjoyed. I picked it up yesterday and couldn't put it down. I hadn't read the first book in the series, and to be honest I wouldn't have known it was a sequel which is a testament, in my opinion, on the strength of the authors' writing.

This was a great sunny summer day read and it made me long to go to an island paradise and perhaps go through a major life change like Abby. The writing was fast paced and kept my interest the entire time so I'd definitely say pick it up today!

Anne Kemp is the author behind the Abby George Series, which includes her debut novella, All Fruits Ripe, and first novel, Rum Punch Regrets, which is available in print and as an eBook. She is also the columnist behind “Anne In Progress,” which appears monthly in the Frederick News-Post, a newspaper in the DC-Metro area. As a blogger, she was nominated for a 2012 Bloggers Choice Award for Best Humor Blog, and is known for penning “The Ultimate Late Bloomer.”

Follow her on Twitter, @MissAnneKemp, or join her fans on Facebook for fun contests and giveaways. You can always find her at her website: www.annekemp.com.

A portion of Anne's proceeds are donated to Lupus LA.

Show Biz Book Review

This book was a great look into the inside of the world of Broadway and since I've long loved the musical genre (probably due to watching lots of Sound of Music type movies as a child), I found this an incredible read. Plus I do love New York so it was just a book that called to me and made me very happy to be spending time to read it. Everything about it was very compelling to me and if you're a fan of Broadway and/or New York, you'll probably love it as well!

Ruby Preston is an up and coming Broadway producer currently working on several new musicals on the Great White Way. She couldn’t be more thrilled to be living her dreams in the Times Square trenches of Manhattan. Ruby loves hearing from readers and Broadway fans so feel free to drop her note via email ruby (@) rubypreston (dot) com or twitter @Broadwayruby.

Connect with Ruby!
My website: www.rubypreston.com
My publisher Dress Circle Publishing: www.dresscirclepublishing.com
Twitter @BroadwayRuby

Buy the Book!
http://www.amazon.com/Showbiz-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B007V59IZU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344990438&sr=8-2&keywords=showbiz+a+novel
And on Barnes & Noble's Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/showbiz-a-novel-ruby-preston/1110479015?ean=2940033232789
And on iTunes. 

Ripple The Twine Review

An interesting departure from the usual chick lit fare, I enjoyed the fact that this book might appeal to both men and women since it was written as chick lit but with a sports theme. Definitely a unique perspective in a previously unexplored type of novel, I think that Jenn has a hit on her hands!

I loved the close friendships between the characters and feel that this book was fantastic. It was definitely a book that I had trouble putting down and I'd do everything to create time to continue reading it. 

enn Flynn-Shon is an Author, born and raised in the Boston, Massachusetts area but currently living and working in Phoenix, Arizona. She quite happily lives, child-free, with her husband in the Valley of the Sun. She is an avid recycler, upcycler, and refuser of superfluous things. Love of sports is a cultural experience, an almost mandated way of life for most Bostonians, and Jenn is no exception to that rule. Jenn loves to travel, read, spend time with family and friends, and blog. "Ripple the Twine" is her first fiction novel. 

Connect with Jenn!

Blog - http://randomnessandlunacy.blogspot.com/
Writesy - http://writesy.blogspot.com/
Ripple the Twine - http://http//www.lulu.com/shop/jenn-flynn-shon/ripple-the-twine/paperback/product-20117696.html
Amazon - http://amazon.com/author/jennshon
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/jennshon
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JennFlynnShon
Twitter - http://twitter.com/jennshon