The Lucky Cat (REVIEW) #ShortReadsSaturdays

 The Lucky Cat

Black Cat Vol. 1

(A Salem Massachusetts Mini Mystery)

Author: Lisa Shea
Category: Cozy Mystery, Short Story

Suitable for: All Ages

My Rating: 3 Stars

Format Read for Review: Nook epub

Pages: 15

Description: Kathy Taylor, a former police officer turned P.I. is offered an unusual case by a stressed mother who comes to her to find a missing cat. The mother claims that this is no ordinary cat but one that she credits with performing miracles. Kathy takes the case and together they quickly discover what happened and find resolution for everyone.

In Short: If you like your mysteries extra cozy and are interested in short reads (15 pages) that are part of a series check this book and others by this author out.

Pros: Cute story, well written and very descriptive. The story has a great ending that is happy for everyone involved. I love the author's writing and would definitely like to read something longer or a full series by Lisa Shea. This is a feel good story full of nice characters. There is a lot of character development for our heroine, Kathy, which will really suck you into the series.  

Cons: I expected this to be more of a mystery so it was kind of disappointing for me when the culprit so easily appeared and spilled the beans. This story was a bit too short and rushed, lacking development.

Books 1-10 on Amazon for $4.99 click here. 

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HEY DOORMAN VIII (REVIEW) #ShortReadsSaturdays

 

HEY DOORMAN VIII:

True Tales of an Uncommon Bouncer in Los Angeles

 

Author: John P. Kildemm
Category: Short Story Anthology, Nonfiction, Narratives, Political, Humor, Entertainment

Suitable for: Adults

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Format Read for Review: Kindle copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Pages: 36

Description: A series of short stories based on the author's experiences as a bouncer for a Los Angeles night club. He has had some crazy experiences and he shares these short tales with a lot of thought and wit.  

In Short: This short book definitely resonates the post-election angst that many Americans are currently feeling and expressing. If you enjoy humorous short stories based on the dark reality of nightlife that draw comparisons mocking the rhetoric of Trump's campaign you will like this book. But if you are a Trump supporter you could be upset by many of the comments made in this book, and I would suggest passing on it.

Pros: This book is very interesting and really more of a 3.75 Stars Rating. It gives you a fantastic view of Los Angeles club culture. These stories are quick, fun to read, smart and humorous. Some of the stories or commentary were so funny that I laughed out loud! It was like watching a TV show about a bouncer who encounters some pretty wild people and then throws jokes onto it. Many of the stories were very exciting, action packed, and entertaining. Some of the stories featured very violent characters and it made the story quite scary. Very well written anthology of unique narratives.   

Cons: The amount of cynicism was a downer for me at times, fortunately there was humor too or I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. Some of the pop culture references went over my head and left me lost. At times I thought some of the stories were too negative and based on just interpersonal issues that I didn't think were very important or entertaining. For example the narrator explained how he didn't like a particular man's name so he chose to call him by a name that he created to insult him. It came across as a bit disrespectful to me. I wish the book had been longer because there were many stories that I did enjoy and would have liked to read more.     

Parent's Guide: This book contains graphic language, swearing, violence, sexual themes. I suggest only adult readers.

#ShortReadsSaturdays

To find more time for reading in my busy schedule I read short books on Saturdays! If you like short stories, novellas, novelettes and other short books, join me for the fun and let's discuss great short reads!

What great short book have you read lately? 

Awaken (REVIEW)

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. 

Awaken

Sleeping Beauty Retold

Author: Demelza Carlton
Category: Fairytale, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Medieval, Historical Romance

Suitable for: 17+

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Format Read for Review: Kindle

Pages: 204

Description: This is a Medieval Romance, a twist on a Fairy-Tale based on Sleeping Beauty. It features royal living, medieval tournaments, magic, conspiracy, and of course passion and romance. The story follows sleeping beauty, Princess Rosamond, who goes from being a carefree young lady to a woman on a mission when a magical curse changes her life and her kingdom forever. Read it to see how she gets her fairy tale Prince and happy ending.

In Short: This book has potential and I think there are many readers who would love it but for me it had some issues. If you like sweet medieval romances and fairy tales retold you should check this series out, as long as you don't mind some plot holes. Overall, I thought it was entertaining and I was completely sucked into the story and the characters until the end.

Pros: This is a cute story and overall the book was fun to read. I really enjoyed the beginning of the story it was action packed and exciting and drew me in right away. I was able to easily devour it in one sitting. There was some good depth to this book and the plot takes some surprising twists and turns. I enjoyed the Princess's powers. The way she could heal people and control plants was very interesting and well implemented. For the most part I actually really liked the protagonist's character. She is a princess and a spoiled one but also a very strong and admirable character. She consistently acts with arrogance and entitlement but she also manages to be a very sympathetic character who can be incredibly caring and she proves she is willing to sacrifice herself for others.    

Cons: There are some grammar and spelling errors that could be corrected with basic copyediting, it wasn't too distracting. There were some holes in this story and in the characters I'll try to describe them without spoilers. For example Rosamond claims she never wants to get married and then suddenly she wants to marry someone, and she's demanding sex and disrobing all willy-nilly. I could not suspend disbelief at the very unlikely sex scene. I didn't really care for the ending. I didn't think the coronations were fair as far as gender equality is concerned. The king received a grand reception and the queen - not so much. But maybe she created that situation for herself. And I didn't understand why the matter that needed to be taken care of as soon as she became queen was OK to put off for a year. I also still have no idea exactly who created the curse, who the target of it was, and why. Missed opportunity for a more powerful story because the ending was just too confusing. I also didn't like that there were so many mentions of how the Princess could barely eat anything. I thought it was borderline glamorizing eating disorders and wasn't a good influence to young ladies.   

Parent's Guide: Sex and innuendo (not very graphic).

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Where Do They Go? (REVIEW)

 

Where Do They Go?

Part 1

 

Author: B.D Donaldson
Category: Illustrated Children's Book

Suitable for: All ages ideal for ages 3 to 8

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Format Read for Review: Paperback from the author

Pages: 29

Description: This is a children's picture book about a brother and sister who are in big trouble with their mom because their socks keep going missing. To avoid angering her any further they desperately try to solve the mystery of where their socks are going. This book features large colorful pictures with a few sentences per page.  

In Short: It's very hard for me to review this book by itself. On one hand the art is amazing and the story is intriguing but on the other hand it isn't the full story yet. It ends with To Be Continued and to see what happens you will need to read the rest of the series. I think the story will continue to be fun and exciting so this is a series to keep an eye out for. Alone it could be a teaser for your kids.  

Pros: The art is really top notch, alone I give the art 5 stars. The story is well written with no noticeable errors. The text and images compliment each other well and add detail to the story. The book is colorful and many of the pages feature full page art. It's a cute tale that is very modern and interesting. The smart, creative kids in the story put a camera on their dog to investigate the disappearing socks. I think this series will be very fun for children and spark their imaginations. This series could work well as a bed time story and is a good book for young readers to read on their own. I look forward to seeing how this story develops in the sequel and would definitely read more by this author.

Cons: This book alone does not have a conclusion or lesson which I think is very important even for series books. I think this is especially important for small children who do not always understand that they have to wait for the sequel to be written. It is only Act 1 and your child will need (and demand) the entire series so that they can see what happens. At the time of this review books 2 and 3 are not yet available. Alone I give this book 3.5 stars, but perhaps books 2 and 3 completing the story will make it a 5 star series. It most definitely has that potential.

I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.com.

275+ Halloween Jokes (REVIEW)

275+ Halloween Jokes

Author: Johnny B. Laughing
Category: Children's Joke Book

Suitable for: All ages

My Rating: 3 Stars

Format Read for Review: Kindle

Pages: 55

Review:

            This is a joke book for kids that contains 275 Halloween themed jokes. They are broken up into categories: Monsters, Frankenstein, Vampires, Ghosts, and Witches. The jokes are mostly puns. Some of the jokes are cute or funny but many of them aren't very funny or don't make sense. There are only a few grammar errors and repeat jokes. I found this book for free and I think it's worth getting for your kid to see if they will like it and maybe like the humor of the author who has many other joke books as well. Children who love pun style jokes will probably like this book. If you check the Amazon listing you can read a few sample jokes. I'll include an Amazon affiliate link at the bottom of this post so that you can see the current price and find more information on Amazon. Overall I think the jokes in the book are hit or miss and children will probably have mixed opinions of them. The jokes are clean and in my opinion safe for all ages.

I'll post examples of a joke I liked and another one I didn't like to give you a feel for the overall style of the book.

"Q: What is big and hairy and goes beep, beep, beep?

A: A monster in a traffic jam."

"Q: What is a monster's favorite society?

A: Consumer's Association."

Find it on Amazon here:
275+ Halloween Jokes: Funny Halloween Jokes for Kids (Funny Jokes for Kids)

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Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Storm Surge (REVIEW)

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein:

Storm Surge (1-6)

 

Full series (1-6) in Hardback form on Amazon

Authors: Dean Koontz, Chuck Dixon

Illustrator: Andres Ponce
Category: Horror, Comic Book

Suitable for: Adults

My Rating: 3 Stars

Format Read for Review: E-book from the author/publisher

Pages: 138 (6 comic books about 23 pages each)

Description: Victor Frankenstein, in true form, creates a machine to raise the dead. Erika, one of his creations steps through a portal in his secret lab that takes her to a parallel dimension. The Victor in this universe has gotten a little bit farther on his evil plans, taking advantage of a storm he starts a zombie apocalypse using his powerful machine.

In Short: This version of Victor Frankenstein is incredibly evil, but his monster isn't a half bad guy. I have to say, I hated Victor's character in this rendition but if you like horror, comics, and zombies you may like this series. If you don't mind an ambiguous ending that leaves the conclusion up to your imagination you'll enjoy this.   

Pros: I enjoyed some of the humor and dark jokes in this comic, although the one-liners began to get a bit dorky. I always enjoy zombie horrors and I thought it was a fun twist on the Frankenstein stories to have a zombie apocalypse. The story is fast paced and full of action. It made for a quick entertaining read. I liked the idea of how the zombies were created by utilizing the flood to electrocute a crowd. The magic Deucalion (Frankenstein's monster) wielded was really interesting. This story blends science fiction, fantasy and horror.  

Cons: Overall pretty sexist feel to it. There is too much innuendo. Even toward this an intelligent woman who appears to be some sort of police officer or something, by someone she saved, and is working side by side with. Someone who should show a little respect. I mean she just shot up a zombie and is actively devising plans while he suggests they should be 'doing it.' The art is just OK for a comic book. For one thing some of the zombies look way too decomposed considering within a few moments they went from perfectly alive people to the walking dead. Some shouldn't be rotting just yet. Too many of the characters look alike and they all have the same body type. There are some editing issues with the text. Overall the story was OK but I didn't care for the ending, I would have preferred something more conclusive. The ending was kind of a slap in the face after all the buildup of the heroes struggling to save the world.

Parent's Guide: Partial nudity, sexual innuendo, references to abuse, violence, violence with guns.

To read the full story you'll need all 6 comic books. Approx. $12 and 138 pages total.

I was given a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. 

Vroom! Kevin's Big Book of Vehicles (REVIEW)

Vroom! Kevin's Big Book of Vehicles

Author: Liesbet Slegers
Category: Illustrated Children's Book

Suitable for: All Ages, ideal for ages 2-7

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Format Read for Review: ARC e-book from the publisher

Pages: 32

Description: Kevin loves vehicles and using his imagination he plays with his toy cars in creative ways. This book has a bunch picture games that have the kids decide what items don't belong, and identify different things.

In Short: This book is ideal for children who show interest in any kinds of vehicles or even farming or construction. It is an interactive teaching book that shows children all kinds of vehicles and what they do.

Pros: The best thing about this book is how interactive it is. It is almost like school work, but in a fun way! Some of the pictures double as games for kids and the book asks them a lot of questions to get them thinking and learning. I think this book would be good for parents to start reading with their children at a young age to teach them and get them thinking more about the vehicles they see outside every day. Some of the questions might challenge young readers so it would be good to discuss them. The pictures are really cute and colorful. Kids who love toy cars will really get a kick out of this book.

Cons: The book has some translation problems. I don't believe in dumbing down English for kids. When you speak to them normally they usually have no problem learning big words at a young age. Some of the word choices I didn't agree with. They use "quick helpers" for emergency vehicles and "strong workers" for construction vehicles. Those terms just aren't very common place. They also teach kids the word "threshing" which is good and a word a lot of adults who didn't grow up in farming communities don't even know. So, at that rate kids could handle the term "emergency vehicles."

I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

Deadfall Lane (REVIEW)

Deadfall Lane

Author: Israel Finn
Category: Horror Short Story

Suitable for: Adults only

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Format Read for Review: Kindle

Pages: 10

Description: Pete is pushed over the edge and commits a heinous crime with unforeseen consequences for him and his family. A hundred year old tree is now dying, leaning, and pointing accusing branches at his haunted soul.    

In Short: A dark, chilling, gruesome, and tragic short story. If you love gory horror, don't mind adult content, and are looking for a really quick read check this book out.

This book is $0.99 on Amazon for the kindle edition. 

Pros: This book is really well written, edited, and descriptive yet concise. The story is definitely easy to imagine and a very haunting tale. It is complicated and made me feel conflicting emotions. The story is very creepy and even though Pete, the star of the book has committed some awful sins I feared for his safety and sanity while portents of revenge began to cast a dark shadow in his direction. I was on the edge of my seat enjoying the thrilling suspense and was sad to see it end. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and would definitely read more books by Israel Finn.

Cons: At about 10 pages this story was just too short. Although the ending was chilling it came too quickly after the climax and as a result left me feeling like I wasn't getting to know what happens next. The main character gets left in limbo. I would have liked to see him either meet his fate or escape the darkness in the end. I know part of the fear is in the not knowing. However, with how short and quick the conclusion was, that didn't work for me. There was also some adult content that I feel limited the audience pool. There was an imagined-rape scene that didn't add anything to the story but makes it a no-go and potential trigger for some readers.      

Parent's Guide and Trigger Warnings: This book contains themes of violence, gore, murder and rape. 

49 Excuses for Not Tidying Your Bedroom (REVIEW)

49 Excuses for Not Tidying Your Bedroom

Author: James Warwood
  Category: Children's Book - Comedy (Illustrated)

  Suitable for: all ages, ideal for age 10+

  My Rating: 3.5 Stars

  Format Read for Review: Kindle

  Pages: 64

Description: This book is a list of 49 wacky excuses for kids who don't want to clean their rooms. It is a humor book with a cute image for each excuse.

In Short: This book is non-educational and has no lesson or moral. It is just for entertainment purposes. The writing of the book makes it ideal for ages 10+. Some of the words and phrases may be too difficult for younger kids. Each 'excuse' is a silly joke and this book will be well received by children who favor joke-books.  

Pros: The art that goes along with each excuse is really cute and funny. Some of the excuses were really creative and silly. A few of my favorite excuses I think make this book worth getting. This book is currently free for the Amazon Kindle version so it is a great way to see if your child likes this author's humor. 

Cons: Some of the excuses didn't really make that much sense and some weren't all that funny. Even with my childish sense of humor there were no audible laughs while reading unfortunately. I like children's books to have a moral/lesson/happy ending but I felt that instead this one was pushing the boundary between teaching creativity and compulsive lying. There were some typos, it could use a little editing.