Category Book Reviews

Aug 3 2021

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon #LOVE

The ‘Zon (Amazon) strikes again! Apparently this absolutely fabulous book is too naughty for them so they banned it. Well I say it’s their loss, it’s one of my favourite books. The amazing author Kathryn Moon has been busy putting the book up everywhere else. Here’s the universal link: books2read.com/alorm

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

On the brink of losing her position as a maid and with no prospects to go on, the offer of a place at Rooksgrave Manor—a house of ill and unusual repute—sounds like a perfect fit for a young woman with Esther’s inclinations. Even better, the invitation comes by the hand of the handsome Dr. Underwood, a delicate gentleman with a ferocious alter ego who knows exactly what he wants from Esther.

Upon arrival, the men and the daily decadence of the manor feel too good to be true for a girl of Esther’s station. There are rules to be followed, expectations to meet, and Esther is afraid she might be too wicked even for a place like Rooksgrave.

Temptations lurk around every shadowy corner and Esther has never been a girl able to resist. But the risk of disappointing her new gentlemen isn’t all that’s threatening Esther’s new position. Rooksgrave Manor’s protections for its unusual patrons are failing, the wards are crumbling, and Esther’s new and exquisitely pleasurable life may all come tumbling down.

Look at all the deliciousness that arrived with my signed paperback. 🥰😍🥰

Apr 29 2021

Reviews… Part 3 #reviews

Hi everyone. Today I’d like to talk about reviewing books. I’m not an expert in reviewing, but I often read reviews. Sometimes I don’t think readers understand how much reviews mean to the authors and other readers. Here are some responses from authors and readers. (Everyone is anonymous)

Reader about a review they saw:

2 stars
OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK IT WAS SO GREAT IM DYING UNTIL THE NEXT ONE COMES.
…
….
Ok.. but why 2 stars then?

Author: I don’t mind getting a low review, but I would love to know why. If there’s something I could fix or do better it could help me grow.

Author: 1 star with no explanation Or just “DNF”

Was it just not to your taste? Or were there legitimate issues?

This is actually an issue I have as an author and reader. No explanation doesn’t help me as either.

Author: “Honestly? Any DNF that leaves a review, period. Even if they explain why, 9 times out of 10, the reason they DNFd is resolved if they would have continued reading (this is excluding grammar/editing complaints which my books don’t generally receive anyway). I often feel like a review isn’t justified if they haven’t read ALL of the book.”

Author: The dnf with no explanation.. or the best one is when characters not even in my book gets mentioned and situations that didn’t happen.

Author: The reviews that spoil the plot. Idc If they are negative as long as they are honest and don’t contain spoilers.

Author: When they lower the rating due to something you have labeled in the warning 🤦‍♀️

Author: “I love this book so much I’m only giving it four stars instead of five because the sequel isn’t out yet”

Author: Have so many.

1) Saying they didn’t like something that was CLEARLY stated that was part of the book. Blurb says “reverse harem werewolf story”, review says, “I hate werewolves so one star.” Uhh… no. That’s on you.
If a book is truly misrepresented: okay.

2) DNF but I only read 5% of the book so I can’t actually say why this happened I just know I don’t like it.

3) Glowing reviews that are 2 or 3 star. People, you realize this actually HURTS authors, right? 3 stars and below Amazon considers negative. Might be ‘good’ on your watch, but that’s not how it works on Amazon. This isn’t goodreads. These ranks matter. They affect sales. You want more books? RATE. ACCORDINGLY. Stop being stingy!!!!

4) EXTREME spoilers. Come on!

5) Taking ARCs and not leaving reviews OR not communicating that you need more time/aren’t able/whatever. Your time is valuable! We know this! Just say “Hey, something came up, I might not be able to get to this for a while!” Cool!!!!

5) Bitching about cliffhangers. Some of them suck, and you get no resolution at all. I get that. That’s not a good cliffhanger. But unless it’s a series of standalones, or a standalone, EVERY BOOK WILL HAVE SOME SORT OF CLIFFHANGER. Recognize this!

6) And probably the worst one of all: 1-star because of a handful of typos.
EXTREME editing or story issues: okay. But saying it was unreadable because of a misplaced comma or something is just dickish, and bullying. You expect perfection: write your own or read traditional with their $50k editing budgets.
Indies have $1k-0 to spend on editing, and charge under $5 for a book. I understand when something is so poorly edited it’s unreadable but a couple of typos are going to happen. Period. RECOGNIZE.

I could go on but these are the worst. lol

Author: When they review the book without reading the blurb…and then they complain about what the book was about, even though they should have known going in based on the blurb!!!

Tips for Writing Amazon Reviews
Why are book reviews so important for authors.
Mar 31 2020

Sprout by @poppywoods9 and @KendramorenoA #newrelease

Sprout: A High Fantasy Reverse Harem (The Blooming Courts Book 2)

A deadly disease has spread through the Blooming Courts of Tuatha.

The louloudi are meant to flourish for a thousand years before they return to the Earth. Death has been a distant foe for so long, no one spares it any thought. Until now. As sickness sweeps through the kingdom, with the cure always just out of reach, the courts have never been filled with so many blossoms. Even in death, they breathe life. 

Ila Slystina has been raised in the confines of the Orchidasi Kingdom, wanting for nothing, hidden away like some sparkling treasure, but she dreams of so much more. When she’s caught returning from a forbidden trip, her mother, the Queen, punishes her the only way she sees fit. 

Ila is sent on her season far earlier than she should be. Now, she’s being paraded through the twelve courts like a prized cow and she wants nothing more than to escape. But along the way, she just might get more than what she bargained for. 

After all, the courts aren’t the only things that must bloom . . .

Book 1:

Flourish book 3 (releasing April 28th)

Emerge book 4 (releasing May 26th)

Blossom book 5 (releasing June 30th)

Review

Mar 26 2020

Wintertide by @EverlyTaylor1 and @MelodyCalder1 #newrelease

❄️ Happy release day, Melody & Everly 💙

Wintertide (Shadow Isle Reformatory Book 1)

Shadow Isle Reformatory where the good, the bad, and the worst are sent to be fixed. What no one tells you, is the teachers don’t give two shits, and its more of a prison than an actual reformatory. The only thing we learn here, is how to survive.

Being born of winter and ice, survival should have been no issue for me. There was one catch, I had no clue how to control it. I was a constant disappointment to my family, one they feared instead of loved. It didn’t help that my sister had it out for me and was determined to have me sent away.

My sister got her wish, and I was sent to hell on earth, needing to figure out who to trust, and who was my enemy. I find the most unlikely allies, or at least I thought I had until I learned that betrayal was right in our midst.

A druid, the son of Lucifer, a Lion shifter and the son of Jack Frost himself…. Who can I trust and who is ready to betray me, just as my family had?

Review

Check out my interview with Everly
https://bit.ly/2WDi8T6
Check out my interview with Melody
https://bit.ly/3dszR7W