Sunday, April 22, 2018

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter


Maddie and Logan were the best of friends. With Logan's dad being the President of the United States, and Maddie's dad being part of the security team they were together a lot, practically inseparable. Until the night that someone tried to kidnap Logan's mom. Then Maddie's dad whisked her off to the middle of Nowhere, Alaska and she never heard from Logan again. Until 6 years later and he shows up on their doorstep. Now Maddie is faced with a dilemma. Will she help Logan get away from the same deadly kidnappers, or will she kill him herself for abandoning her?

NOT IF I SAVE YOU FIRST was an exciting read! It reminded me a bit of The Gallagher Girls series by this same author. A strong female lead and one exciting peril after another. I loved Maddie's ability to take care of herself and Logan, but also her "girl side" which had her bedazzling her hatchet before practicing throwing it! The setting of Alaska was also very thrilling with the dangers of the climate and the bears along with the people bent on putting an end to the President's son and his former best friend. NOT IF I SAVE YOU FIRST was entertaining, exciting and touching. I enjoyed every minute of it!


Thursday, April 19, 2018

The Adventures Of Super Susan by Holly Schindler


Super Susan's superpower is kindness. But can it help her win over someone who is super-jealous? Find out in this super-cute story by Holly Schindler who came up with the character Super Susan when she was 8 years old.

I think we can all agree that kindness is in short supply these days. So I love stories that have characters who show kindness to one another. I also love that the characters in the story all had a super power and that by using those super powers together they can do great things. A super-fast read with a great moral message!


Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Rodeo Standoff by Susan Sleeman


As we have come to expect with Susan Sleeman's books, this one opened off right away with excitement! Seriously, who wants to be in an arena with a bull that is intent on killing you? Tessa sure didn't count on that! Thankfully Braden knows about bulls and is able to distract the bull so Tessa can escape. Now the question is how did the bull get in the arena and who wants Tessa dead?

Tessa McKade has followed in the footsteps of the McKade family and is in law-enforcement. She's also one of the contestants in the town's rodeo. Tessa holds the championship title for barrel racing. Braden used to be a professional bull rider. Now he is in law-enforcement as well. He is in town to help promote the rodeo and he arrives just in time to become Tessa's own personal body guard.

Neither Tessa or Braden have an interest in a serious relationship. Tessa has sworn off men after a bad break-up and Braden watched his parents bicker all of his life and has no desire to be in a relationship like that. What Braden doesn't count on is the longing he has when he meets the McKade family. The love and respect they show for each other is something he has always dreamed of but never thought existed. And red-headed Tessa's feistiness  sure is cute! Can the two of them put aside their aversion to relationships and admit they are attracted to each other?

Rodeo Standoff was exciting from beginning to end! I'm definitely a fan of the McKade family and look forward to the next siblings story! I loved the characters in Rodeo Standoff. Even though Tessa was a law-officer she was still mature enough to know when she needed protection and when to exert her independence. I thought the development of Braden and Tessa's relationship worked well and even though it had to be quick it seemed to run its natural course. There were elements of faith and mentions of faith, but it wasn't central to the story, just a part of who Tessa and Braden were. I definitely love the Love Inspired Suspense line of books. Just enough suspense and romance to keep the reader turning the pages.

Check out my review of the first book in the McKade Law series:

Holiday Secrets

**I received my copy of Rodeo Standoff from the author for review purposes. All opinions are my own**

**Rodeo Standoff is available for pre-order and will be published on May 1, 2018**


Tuesday, April 10, 2018

An Interview With Author Holly Schindler








Author Holly Schindler has written a collection of love poems titled TANGLES. I reviewed the book on the post below this one.











To contact Holly Schindler:

HollySchindler.com

Twitter: @holly_schindler

Facebook: facebook.com/HollySchindlerAuthor









Interview:
1.      

    You write different genres of books, what made you interested in writing a poetry book?

I’ve actually been writing poetry for years. I even published a few poems in some lit mags when I was in college. In high school, I also kept a bunch of journals—instead of writing prose entries describing what had happened to me that day, I wrote poems. Most have dates rather than titles. They turned out to be incredibly valuable when I started writing YA. Those poems really helped me reconnect with my teen voice and with the way it felt to be a teen. A few of the poems even found their way into my first published book, A BLUE SO DARK!

I’ve also written songs, ever since a member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils taught me the basics of guitar playing and songwriting. I’ve always loved the storytelling capabilities and the emotional punch of song lyrics.

I was also always a big poetry reader. In high school, I discovered some of Rod McKuen’s old books—I was totally fascinated by him—the straightforward poetry writing style and the utterly amazing popularity of his stuff (McKuen was a songwriter, too). In the ‘60s and ‘70s, he was a real rock star. But when he stepped away from the spotlight, he almost immediately fell into total obscurity. His work was often regarded by critics as “simplistic,” but so have some of the Instagram poets who have recently become popular as well. Honestly, I never understood the “simplistic” dismissal. Really, what could be simpler than “It takes a heap of living in a house to make a home”? And yet, it’s a line that sticks—you remember it. It makes that emotional punch I mentioned earlier. Frankly, you could dismiss most of the poems in novels in verse as “simplistic,” too, but so many people go crazy for novels in verse, I believe, because the poems read fluidly, easily, and they focus primarily on the emotional portion of a story—the internal portion, rather than external stuff. Poetry (especially simpler, straightforward poetry) allows the reader to get straight to the heart of a story without having to sift through paragraphs and pages of description.

Anyway, I was thinking about the Instagram poets, the popularity of novels in verse, and it made me believe that it was time for me to release my own collection. It sent me sifting through the journals and notebooks of poems and lyrics I’d been writing for so long. I aimed to put together a collection that was truly easy to read and enjoy, full of heart and emotionality. No head-scratchers allowed!

That's what I appreciated the most! No "head-scratchers allowed!" 

2.      In my review I said, "I felt like the author was bearing her soul in some of the poems." Was this set of poems cathartic for you in some way?

In a way, it really was. Those poems covered quite a long span of time—different periods of life, different situations. One of my favorite parts of the collection is the way it ages. “From Strawberries to Gin,” which is included toward the beginning of the collection, is about a young girl who’s out with a slightly older man, a girl who feels incredibly childlike and aches to become more womanly. Toward the end, “Approaching Autumn” is about a woman who hopes that love stories that take place in the autumn of life are actually hotter than the youthful summer romances. In a way, this collection grows up in a short span of pages.

3.      As I read your poems I found several that were favorites. Do you have a favorite in this set?

I like “Blushing Crimson” quite a lot. It has a feel that’s a bit like some of the steamier scenes in my YA romance PLAYING HURT.

4.      TANGLES is a collection of love poems, do you have plans for future poetry books, and if so what would you like them to consist of?

I’d really love to do some additional collections. I’m always writing new snatches of poetry. I’m not sure what the connecting thread would be yet—I’ve got a ton of ideas, and am still working on narrowing them down!


For those who’d like to follow along with my poetry writing, I’m devoting my Tumblr account to all things poetry: hollyschindler.tumblr.com Also, readers can subscribe to my poetry newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dmExEH

I enjoyed interviewing Holly, and I definitely enjoyed TANGLES. It is currently available on Amazon for Kindle for .99: https://www.amazon.com/Tangles-Poems-Holly-Schindler-ebook/dp/B07BBSBT5X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523212749&sr=1-1&keywords=tangles+by+holly+schindler or you can purchase it in paperback for $7.50. Both great deals! 



Monday, April 2, 2018

Tangles by Holly Schindler


Poetry, I pretty much run the opposite direction when I see a book of poetry. Frankly I just don't "get" it, so I usually lack an appreciation for it. But since I have pretty much loved everything that author Holly Schindler has written I sucked it up and gave TANGLES a try. I was not disappointed! I enjoyed it very much. I felt like the author was bearing her soul in some of the poems. I actually "got" what she was trying to convey in the poems. Several favorites were:

Tenderness Mining
The Idea Of You
Things We Do For Luck
Approaching Autumn
Fast As I Can Fall

Each poem made sense to me, each one held something in it that I could either relate to or that I could feel for someone else. Holly Schindler has a way of drawing the reader in even if it is a genre that they usually run away from! If you enjoy poetry, or even if you are like me, a reluctant poetry reader, give TANGLES a try, I don't think you will be disappointed. In fact, I think you will be pleasantly surprised!