book Review: Minna & The Valentine – S.G. Rogers Review by Tracey Panton

Minna & The Valentine – S.G. Rogers

 

Publication Date:  1^st February 2012

Format: ebook

Pages:  64

Category: Romance

Blurb:

Minna has a secret. Her father, ex-dragon jockey Wynn Westerfield, will forever hold a grudge against wizards. Because it was a wizard who caused his career-ending accident, Minna struggles to hide her incredible magical powers from him…and from the world.

Evan Valentine has attended a prestigious magical academy on scholarship, although he’s managed to conceal that fact fr...moreMinna has a secret. Her father, ex-dragon jockey Wynn Westerfield, will forever hold a grudge against wizards. Because it was a wizard who caused his career-ending accident, Minna struggles to hide her incredible magical powers from him…and from the world.

Evan Valentine has attended a prestigious magical academy on scholarship, although he’s managed to conceal that fact from everyone. He’s on the fast track to success with his apprenticeship to wizard Thaddeus Bartholomew, and Evan’s carefully constructed life doesn’t include a certain beautiful girl whose powers rival his own.

Although Minna and Evan don’t realize it yet, their destinies have been intertwined for years. When a threat arises, Minna and Evan must travel to another reality to retrieve a dangerous magical artifact. Can Minna and Evan learn to work together, despite their mutual mistrust? Or will their explosive romantic attraction lead to disaster?

Review

Such a romantic story. Goes to show that two people can really share an electric connection.

Minna and Evan’s relationship sparked with electricity right from their very first meeting.

I loved how Rogers brought Minna and Evan together, it was beautiful. Thaddeus is certainly a wise wizard especially when it comes to love.

However short this was I enjoyed every moment especially when the sparks flew!

I’d love to learn more about both Evan and Minna before they first met. It would be interesting to see them both grow up in their separate ways.

5/5

Where to buy

Astrea Press

Guest Post from Author Joanne Troppello

Joanne Troppello is an author of romantic suspense novels.  She has published three books: Shadowed Remembrances, Mr. Shipley’s Governess and Bella Lucia. Currently, she is working on her new writing project, The Paradise Redeemed Series. Joanne is married and loves spending time with her husband and family. She enjoys interacting with readers at The Mustard Seed Blog.

Author Contact Links

Joanne's Blog: The Mustard Seed

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Why I Love Romance & Writing Happy Endings

The willing suspension of disbelief was first utilized by the English poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Basically, if a writer can impart a human element and an aspect of truth into the story, the reader will be drawn in and willingly suspend their disbelief and fully engage in the far-fetched tale. 

Isn’t that why we read fiction novels and short stories and go to see movies? We want to be entertained and forget about our lives for the moment and transport to another world. In that process of being transported to another world, I tend to enjoy happy endings for the characters involved. My husband, on the other hand, always teases me that sad endings are fine too because that’s real life. Then I usually come back with I have enough issues in real life and that’s why I want to escape into happy endings. Due to my affinity for happy endings and all things romantic, when I decided to write novels, I naturally fell into the romance genre. However, I also enjoy a good mystery, so romantic suspense really feels like home to me.

Writing romance novels gives me a chance to focus in on the hero and heroine and not get bogged down by having to deal with a whole bunch of characters. However, someday I may decide to write that epic dramatic tale with multiple plotlines and several main characters—but not today or at least not in the near future. Right now, I’m in love with love stories.

Who doesn’t enjoy creating dashing heroes and fair maidens in distress? Okay, so maybe that’s too much of a stretch, but I like the dynamic of creating well-developed characters that fall in love. I want to tell their story. I am a true romantic at heart. I guess that’s why I’m a sucker for a great romantic drama or comedy. True, the formula is always the same in those movies as well as novels—but I revel in the fact that as an author, I can use that time honored formula and make it my own. Using creative ways, I can dream up exciting plots with twists and turn, all the while sharing a true love story with readers who feel the same way—they love happy endings.

True, real life isn’t always a bed of roses and I don’t want to create a fantasy world. Weaving real life elements into the story is the cement that holds everything together. I want to show that true love is true when it can weather the storms of life and come out stronger. It grows through trials and tribulations and with a decision to stick together through good times and bad times, love will always win out.

As a reader, I want to read a book which portrays this perspective that there is such a thing as true love. It embraces romance, but like a diamond—has many facets. True love is able to endure the daily pressures just like it welcomes romance and roses into the relationship. True love knows the difference between both sides to the relationship, but can’t co-exist without the other. A fire starts with a spark, then bursts into full flame and if not tended to, will die out. That’s where fanning the flame comes into play—I want to know that the hero and heroine, not necessarily live happily ever after, but live together in true unconditional love in the real world.

Are you a kindred spirit—do you love romance and happy endings?      

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter Part 4 - Jennifer Malone Wright By Tracey Panton

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part IV – Jennifer Malone Wright

Publication Date: 15 Jan 2012

Format: ebook

Category: Young Adult

Blurb:

 

In the fourth installment of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter, Chloe and the other vampire hunters are suffering the aftermath of the vampire attack on their community. Many hunters were injured, and loved ones were murdered. More than that, there is a loss of security and peace since the hunters' safe haven was breached and invaded. Chloe and Drew struggle just to get along and understand each other without Luke there to guide them.

During this period of uncertainty, Chloe and Drew both try to live a normal life as teenagers by going to the New Year's bash, she with Gavin and Drew with Christina, Chloe's recent rival. Chloe is, once again, reminded that nothing is 'normal' in her life any more, when she begin to show signs she's developing supernatural gifts from her father's bloodline, too.

The bash does little to lift her feelings of guilt and responsibility for the attack on the community, because she knows it's her presence there that caused the vampires to attack the hunters. Th... (Read more) In the fourth installment of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter, Chloe and the other vampire hunters are suffering the aftermath of the vampire attack on their community. Many hunters were injured, and loved ones were murdered. More than that, there is a loss of security and peace since the hunters' safe haven was breached and invaded. Chloe and Drew struggle just to get along and understand each other without Luke there to guide them.

During this period of uncertainty, Chloe and Drew both try to live a normal life as teenagers by going to the New Year's bash, she with Gavin and Drew with Christina, Chloe's recent rival. Chloe is, once again, reminded that nothing is 'normal' in her life any more, when she begin to show signs she's developing supernatural gifts from her father's bloodline, too.

The bash does little to lift her feelings of guilt and responsibility for the attack on the community, because she knows it's her presence there that caused the vampires to attack the hunters. This attack nearly took the life of her only remaining family member from her mother's side. She doesn't want to put anyone else she loves at risk.

Before she has time to put any plans into action, a surprise phone call from someone unexpected sets the wheels in motion. Chloe now knows what she must do...

Review:

This series just keeps getting better and better!!

I’m really loving all the changes that Chloe is experiencing. She is such an amazing character. Chloe is so easy to follow and it’s hard not to love her.

Chloe feels really responsible for the recent attacks on the Vampire Hunters and feels it’s her responsibility to right the wrongs because it’s her the vampires are after. I admire her in her decision to leave the safe community of the Vampire Hunter’s. 

Her father may be a vampire and she is part hunter/vampire and is still unsure of her powers.

Will these new powers be what helps her overpower her father or will they cause her problems. I look forward to finding out in the fifth instalment of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter.

5/5

Where to buy:

Smash Words

Jennifer Malone Wright

The beach House - Helen McKenna by Tracey Panton

The Beach House – Helen McKenna

Publisher:  Joshua Books

Publication Date: 2011

Format: Paperback

Pages: 507

Category:  Fiction

Blurb:

Nothing much happens in the small Queensland town of Sunset Point, which is just the way the locals like it. So, when an outsider with grand plans threatens to demolish an iconic local landmark and build a huge resort, the battle lines are drawn.

Young journalist Jessica hopes to make it big with her coverage of the court case, but first she has to appease her editor and put a human interest spin on the situation. At first glance the five people she chooses to background have little in common; but it soon becomes apparent that staying at The Beach House has changed all of them in some way.

In telling the stories of Kate, Simone, Tom, Clare and Jack, Jessica too learns some important life lessons.

Review:

This book is filled with wonderful stories of people who have spent time staying at The Beach House. They have nothing in common bar the house itself. One thing that happens during each stay at The Beach House if life changing.

It’s beautifully written and inspiring.

At first it looked like a huge story but it’s not, it’s divided into sections where each of the five tell their story of their stay at The Beach House. It started off from Kate’s stay in 1994 to Jack’s stay in 2003.

There is great diversity throughout each story.

Jim Stewart is a life guard at Sunset Point and appears in each story. In Jack’s story Jim appears more and we learn a lot about Jim and his life at Sunset Point.

5/5

Where to Buy:

The Beach House

The screaming Season - Nancy Holder by Tracey Panton

The Screaming Season - Nancy Holder

Publisher: Razororbill An imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Publication Date: March 17 2001

Format: Paperback

Pages: 328

Category: Young Adult

Blurb:

IF A GIRL SCREAMS INB THE WOODS AND NO ONE IS AROUND TO HEAR HER, DOES SHE MAKE A SOUND?

                                           

Possessions: me

-          My sanity? they think I’ve lost it.

-          The ghost of Celia Reaves (with me always)

Possessions: them

-          Do they know ghosts are living inside them?

-          Do they shed them as carelessly as their other possessions?

-          Hatred that’s immortal.

Review:

I had great pleasure reading this book. Possessions and The Evil Within really got me reading and I flew through these books.

Holder’s writing really is magnificent. She really has a way with writing powerful stories. The entire series was filled with ghosts and so many nights filled with terror.

Lindsay’s time at Marlwood ended well. She endured so much during her short time at the very expensive boarding school. It really had me on edge the whole time .

I really felt for Lindsay, right from the very first time we are introduced. The loss of her mother and her breakdown before Marlwood must have been tough for her but somehow she managed to cope with that plus all the extra things that she experiences during her time at the boarding school.

Lindsay had so many people turn on her for unexplained reasons, and yet she survived and showed that she is a strong person.

Life really can be so confusing and even in death life seems to get the dead down especially for those that haven’t yet moved past their hurts from living on this earth.

I rate this book and the entire series 5/5 I will defiantly be reading more of Nancy Holder’s works.

Where to buy:
Book Depository

Amazon