Book Review - Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Photo Credit - Amazon

Alice never really believe in luck as she had her fair share of bad luck. However, she still believes in love. Alice has been in love with her best friend, Teddy for years. When Teddy's eighteen birthday arrives, she buys him a lottery ticket attaching a note professing her love for him. The unimaginable happens and Teddy wins the lottery.

Teddy and his mother are overjoyed by the news because they have been struggling financially At first, they are stunned by their good luck but, then  Teddy gets swept up in the fame and fortune of being the youngest winner of $140 million.  With Teddy's sudden influx of cash, things between him and Alice begin to change.

I found the novel to be a fun and entertaining read. It was interesting to see how different people would spend their lottery winnings. I enjoyed most of the characters but, did find them to be a bit annoying. Alice was so blinded by her grief and then her love for Teddy that she didn't take the time to considered other people around her. While I understand and appreciate her need to give money to the less fortunate (I loved Teddy's idea in the end on what to do with his wealth), I didn't like that she was trying to force her way on Teddy. Especially when she mentioned her main motivation behind volunteering. I wish there was more development on some of the characters but, overall it was a nice cozy young adult romance novel.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Estranged #2: The Changeling King by Ethan M. Aldridge + Giveaway

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Changeling Edmund Carter resumed his rightful role as Cinder, king of the World Below after spending years pretending to be human. However, not all of the underworld inhabitants are happy about his return to the throne. Ed is still adjusting to his new human life in the World Above. His birth parents are kind and accepting of him but, he misses his sense of purpose as a knight.

When a new threat threatens the lives of everyone in the World Below, Cinder must rely on his friends and family to assist him. However, Cinder discovers a dark secret at the end of their journey. Will Cinder be able to protect his family and kingdom against all odds?

The graphic novel was illustrated in beautiful watercolor paintings. I enjoyed the first book in the series and the second one didn't disappoint. We got to see the characters learn about themselves and how they fit in with their world. They also learn the importance of friends and family is not only people who are related by blood. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

 

 

Series: Estranged (Book 2)
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (October 1, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006265389X
ISBN-13: 978-0062653895

Praise for ESTRANGED Series

“A splendid tale of faery magic and adventurous siblings, all told in gorgeously rendered watercolor panels: this is exactly my kind of thing.” —Ben Hatke, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Zita the Spacegirl trilogy

“It’s got dragons. It’s got drama. It’s got depth. And it’s got me impatiently awaiting Ethan M. Aldridge’s next eye-popping adventure.” —Tim Federle, award-winning author of Better Nate Than Ever and Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

“A compelling story about finding identity in a world where magic dangers lurk just around the corner. I loved Estranged!” —Molly Ostertag, author-illustrator of The Witch Boy

“As richly imagined in the full-color illustrations, the worldbuilding is both accessible and as familiar as those genre stalwarts… this should easily resonate with preteen and teen fans of both Holly Black and Neil Gaiman.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Worthy of inclusion in any fantasy collection.” —School Library Journal

“[F]un, daring, and dark...with themes and art that fall into the realm of Neil Gaiman, Michael Ende, and Jim Henson. Coupled with the beautifully toned watercolor art, the interdependence of and tension between the two protagonists makes this book stand out.” —Publishers Weekly

“The deliciously captivating start to this adventure series will leave readers hungry for more.” —Booklist

Enter a world of faerie magic and epic adventure in this spellbinding sequel to Estranged—a rich fantasy graphic novel perfect for fans of Amulet.

After years of pretending to be human, the changeling Edmund Carter has assumed his rightful role as Cinder, king of the World Below. But not everyone at the royal palace is happy about his return.

Meanwhile, Ed is adjusting to human life in the World Above. His birth family treats him with a kindness he never knew growing up in the Fay court, but Ed misses the sense of purpose he had as a knight.

When a mysterious new threat emerges in the World Below, Cinder must call on Ed and their older sister, Alexis, for help. But nothing can prepare them for the family secret that awaits at the end of their perilous quest.

With over two hundred pages of gorgeous watercolor paintings, The Changeling King invites readers on an epic journey through a magical world—one they will not soon forget.

You can purchase The Changeling King at the following Retailers:

        

Photo Content from Ethan M. Aldridge 

Ethan M. Aldridge is a bestselling author and illustrator. He is the creator of the fantasy graphic novel ESTRANGED (a Junior Library Guild selection, Indie Bestseller, and YALSA Great Graphic Novel For Teens), and it's follow up THE CHANGELING KING (coming fall 2019).

Ethan was raised in a small town in Utah. Growing up, Ethan’s favorite things to draw were monsters and whatever dinosaur he liked that week. He now does more or less the same thing for a living. Ethan lives in New York City with his husband, Matthew, and their dog, Kitsune.

Ethan has had the pleasure to create work for HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Random House, and EA Games.

        

WEEK ONE - REVIEWS

DECEMBER 9th MONDAY Insane About Books REVIEW
DECEMBER 10th TUESDAY Nay's Pink Bookshelf REVIEW
DECEMBER 11th WEDNESDAY JeanBookNerd PODCAST
DECEMBER 11th WEDNESDAY Wonder Struck REVIEW
DECEMBER 12th THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW
DECEMBER 13th FRIDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW 

WEEK TWO - REVIEW & CREATIVE INSTAGRAM PICTURE
DECEMBER 16th MONDAY Casia's Corner REVIEW
DECEMBER 17th TUESDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW
DECEMBER 18th WEDNESDAY Gwendalyn's Books REVIEW
DECEMBER 19th THURSDAY Life Within The Pages REVIEW
DECEMBER 20th FRIDAY For The Love of Fictional Worlds REVIEW

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

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Book Review - Full Fusion (The Fusion Series, #1) by NJ Damschroder + Giveaway

Photo Source - Amazon

Roxie Sebastian is like every other teenager except she doesn't always feel like she belongs and she is missing something. While, she has a caring family, a loving boyfriend, and supportive friends, she can't help but feel that disconnected from the world around her. When on shopping trip with her friend, Lincoln, she narrowly manages to escape death when brilliant light misses her and blows up Lincoln's car instead. After seeing the brilliant light, she is drawn to it and can't help but feels she needs the light. However, it seems Lincoln knows more than he is letting on about Roxie and the light that almost killed them. What secret is Lincoln hiding? Why is the light so important to Roxie?


This young adult paranormal novel was an interesting read. The author did a good job making the characters feel authentic and age appropriately in their dialogue. The plot was fast moving and interesting but I felt like the description in the back gave away most of the important part of the story. Instead of being a description to entice readers into reading the book, I felt like it was a summary of the entire book. Overall, an interesting book for those who like paranormal novels but skip the description on the back otherwise you might ruin the book.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion** 

About The Book:
Title: FULL FUSION (The Fusion Series Volume 1)
Author: NJ Damschroder
Pub. Date: June 4, 2014
Publisher: Dragonsoul YA
Pages: 322
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

Eighteen-year-old Roxie Sebastian lives a charmed life, and she knows it. Too bad she can’t feel it.

All her life, she’s felt disconnected from the world around her. Everything changes just before graduation, when she’s drawn to an eerie, brilliant light-which narrowly misses her as it blows up her friend Lincoln’s car. Clearly someone’s after Roxie, and finally Lincoln tells her the truth: He and Roxie are angels, beings from another dimension, and that light is her soul, separated from her human body in a traumatic birth.

Once a skeptical Roxie rules out the other possibilities-like Lincoln created this delusion to escape his abusive father-she accepts her gut-deep knowledge of the truth. But someone has been screwing with her light, using it to commit crimes, and their actions are about to cause irreparable damage to two worlds: the one she lives in, and the one she can’t remember.

Aided by her best friend Jordan, her boyfriend Tucker, and Lincoln, Roxie tracks down the criminal and uncovers many more secrets not only of her past, but of the history of their race on Earth. And then Roxie faces a horrible dilemma-the only way she can stop them from ripping apart both worlds is to fuse with her light…which could be tainted by the evil with which it was used.

About NJ:

Natalie J. Damschroder is an award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance, with an emphasis on romantic adventure. She has had 24 novels, 7 novellas, and 16 short stories published by several publishers, most recently with Soul Mate Publishing, Entangled Publishing, and Carina Press. She recently debuted her Fusion Series, a young adult paranormal adventure series, with Full Fusion, as NJ Damschroder. Learn more about those books here.

Natalie grew up in Massachusetts, and loves the New England Patriots more than anything. (Except her family. And writing and reading. And popcorn.) When she’s not writing, she does freelance editing and proofreading. She and her husband have two grown daughters, one of whom is also a novelist. (The other one prefers math. Smart kid. Practical.)

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
 

Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a Box Set of the FULL FUSION Series, US Only.
Rafflecopter Link:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2710/

Week One:

3/19/2018- Caffeine And Composition- Interview

3/19/2018- A Gingerly Review- Review

3/20/2018- Twirling Book Princess- Excerpt

3/20/2018- The Underground- Review

3/21/2018- Elley the Book Otter- Guest Post

3/21/2018- Wonder Struck- Review

3/22/2018- Am Kinda Busy Reading- Review

3/22/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

3/23/2018- BookHounds YA- Interview

3/23/2018- two points of interest- Review

Book Review - Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face and the Quest for the Magic Porcupine (Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face, #2) by John Dougherty

Photo Credit - Amazon

Oh no! The devilishly evil badgers have escaped from prison and plan to unleash chaos on the town's residents. Have no fear, Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face will rescue the day! They head out to find someone who knows about stories to help them find the correct path. Who else would know something about stories other than the fearsome Miss Butterworth, the ninja Librarian. After receiving guidance, the duo set off to find the magical porcupine to help stop the mischievous badgers. Will the kids be able to save the king? What evil deeds is the badgers planning? 

The story was fun to read and engaging, especially to young children. Many of the jokes were clever while a bit silly, but a few jokes were repetitive. However, I feel like that is a common trend in children's books (IE Lemony Snicket). A cute and delightful read for any young reader.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

AUTHOR - John Dougherty

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Dougherty was born in Larne, Northern Ireland. He studied psychology at university and then tried his hand at a number of jobs including YMCA hostel worker, factory machine operator, and unsuccessful singer-songwriter, before becoming a primary school teacher. His books have been shortlisted for a number of prestigious awards - and one was chosen by The London Times as one of the Best Children's Books of the Year 2011 - but, more importantly, they make children giggle.

 

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Sam Ricks is an illustrator and designer with more than ten years' experience. His work has been showcased in numerous publications, including The New York Times. Sam loves creating illustrations of all types, but he is especially fond of children's book work. He lives with his family in Utah. 

Book Review - Rescued Hearts by Hope Toler Dougherty

Photo Credit - Amazon

Mary Wade Kimball was looking for a quiet retreat from the demands of her everyday life. While picking up supplies and returning home, she sees a kitten stuck in a thorny bush in front of an abandoned house. She decides to help the kitten when she is taken hostage by two criminals.  Mary  Wade is worried when a third criminal returns with supplies for the storm.  However, the third criminal is actually an undercover agent, Brett Davis. Deciding the woman's safety was more important than his three month investigation, he risks his mission to help Mary Wade escape. Will Mary Wade and Brett be able to escape the criminals?

The novel had an interesting premise, but it failed to keep me interested. I found myself glazing over portions of the book because the plot was predictable and the dialogue felt stilted. I found bits of the story on the topic and quite silly, like Brett who managed to calmly think through things to rush into a known ambush and Mary Wade seducing one of the criminals. The mini story about Brett's stalker was also very predictable and could have been left out. It didn't really add anything to the story other than making the book longer.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert

Photo Source - Amazon

**May Contain Spoilers**

Lettie compared to herself to her "beautiful" friends always feeling like an outsider because she perceived she is lacking. She is short and on the chubbier side while her friends are richer, the other is beautiful or called each other best friends. However, she doesn't let her "shortcomings" hold her back and becomes a doctor like her father. Marco lived through a war that robbed him not only the love of his life but also his health. He moves to South Africa since he can no longer bare the winters in Italy. He becomes one of Lettie's first patients and their relationship grows as she tries to nurture him back to health. Will the duo be able to love again?

The cast of characters appeared in The Child of the River, but I didn't find it necessary to read the first book to enjoy this book.  While, I enjoyed the a book I felt like it wasn't as enjoyable as it could be. The book was divided into four "life" events and the first two spoke about Lettie's and Marco's lives before meeting each other. These chapters were filled with details and consistent in timing while the later chapters had just pertinent details and, sometimes, it was vague how much time passed between pages. For example, Lettie cries about over her beloved's friend's death, but they mentioned her parents' death in passing. I felt like when they were talking about Lettie's and Marco's soul mates, they spent a lot of time going into the story and building the ambience.

There were a few things that bothered me about the story. Lettie is portrayed as the chubby and lovable friend (I sometimes find her petty) and she gets jealous over her friends' happiness, money, beauty, relationships, and children. However, I am surprised she  never felt like a part of Macro's heart will always be with Rachel (his first love). She just loves him blindly even though she notices that he doesn't speak much about Rachel. Another thing is when she realizes that she is falling in love with De Wet again, why does she hesitate? She knows that he likes her and she likes him but plays this "Oh, I don't know" game, but craves his attention. After all this talk about crooked paths, shouldn't she know that her crooked path is leading her to De Wet especially, since she has been in love with him since childhood.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Book Review - The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Photo Credit - Amazon

After the death of her mother, 15 year old Lane Roanoke moves in with her grandparents and her cousin, Allegra. In her grandparents' vast estate in rural Kansas, very little is known of her mother's mysterious family. However, she quickly embraces life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. Lane discovers one of the family's dark secret and runs away. Several years later, her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra is missing. Will Lane risk everything to find Allegra? Is someone behind Allegra's disappearance? Who is Lane able to trust?

The novel is beautifully written and an engaging read. It kept me on the edge of my seat to guess the family's secrets, but I must admit the secret was a bit predictable. A good book for a rainy day or for the beach! 

**Disclosure - I received a free copy in exchange for an honest opinion**