Book Review - Saving Meghan by D.J. Palmer

Photo Credit - Amazon

Becky Gerard is a devoted mother and she will do anything for her teenage daughter, Meghan. Her husband, Carl, believes Becky is obsessed with Meghan's illness and finding a cure. Meghan has been in and out of hospitals due to an unexplained illness. And Meghan's doctors have conflicting medical diagnoses. One of her doctors suspects Munchausen syndrome by proxy. There is a growing rift between the Gerards as they become suspicious of each other. Will Becky be able to prove that her daughter has a deadly disease before time runs out?

I thought the novel was an interesting and suspenseful read. It was a delightful combination of thriller, medical mystery, and whodunit. The small cast of characters felt human with their vulnerabilities along with how far they will go help someone they love. Some of the twists were a bit predictable but, overall it was an enjoyable read.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Book Review - A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

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Lily Dane and her family have summered in Seaview, Rhode Island for generations. Rhode Island provides an escape from the New York social scene and a heartbreak that still haunts Lily.  The seaside community has provided Lily with blissful childhood memories and friends.  However, this summer is different when Lily's former best friend, Budgie and former fiance, Nick arrived.  Under Budgie's influence, Lily is drawn back into her former friend's world and is entangled in a complicated web of lies and secrets. A hurricane is approaching Rhode Island, will Lily be able to uncover the buried secrets that haunt her?

I originally got this book to read at the beach but, I only recently got the chance to read it. I can see why this book can be considered a juicy beach read as it is filled with secrets, deception, and betrayal.  The plot was a bit predictable but, there were a few twists that were unexpected. Overall, it was a fun juicy read but, I wasn't really fond of the characters. For example, her best friend has betrayed her several times but, Lily still tries to help her.  The book is a good read for fans of the author.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Book Review - Monstrous Devices by Damien Love

Photo Credit - Amazon

Twelve-year-old Alex receives a package in the mail on a cold wintery night. The delicately wrapped package contains an old tin robot from his grandfather with a note that says, "This one is special". Alex starts noticing strange events occurring and he suspects the toy might be the cause. 

Right before Alex is attacked, his grandfather manages to save him.  Worried about Alex's safety, his grandfather decides to take him to Europe. In Europe, Alex becomes entangled in a world of magic and an ancient family feud. Will the duo be able to solve the puzzle behind the old tin robot and stop the opposing forces who want to harm them.

I was drawn to this beautifully illustrated book cover and thought it would be a great read for a cold wintery night. The story was entertaining and interesting but, it fell flat in some parts. I thought the plot was unique about old artifacts filled with ancient power and objects being controlled by pieces of human body parts. However, I was annoyed by Alex and his grandfather's relationship. I also didn't like that we were left with more questions than answers. I felt like the author came up with a few interesting twists but, wasn't sure how to explain it. Unless the author is planning to make a sequel, I would recommend skipping this rather disappointing book.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Book Review - Flower Fairies Magical Moonlight Feast by Cicely Mary Barker

Photo Credit - Amazon

In this book, the fairies are planning a last minute feast to celebrate with their friends. However, how will the guest be able to attend the feast through the forest? The beautifully illustrated book is filled with pop-ups along with a final pop up with built-in lights. I thought the book was beautifully done but, by the time, I got this new book the batteries stopped working. Sadly, there is no way to replace the batteries. Overall, a fun and entertaining read for the little ones.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Book Review - Foxlowe: A Novel by Eleanor Wasserberg

Photo Credit - Amazon

Foxlowe is a crumbling old house on the moors but to Green, it is a special place. Foxlowe is the only place she knows. In Foxlowe, Green can do whatever she wants. She can run through the hallways, eat desserts whenever she wants, and be free of daily hassles.

At Foxlowe, the family shares everything. They perform special rituals to protect themselves from the Bad. Everyone is content living at Foxlowe until Blue, Green's little sister, grows up and dreams of being in the Outside. She talks about become a Leaver; one of the unmentionables.

The writing style of this book wasn't my favorite. I found it to be quite annoying and made it harder for me to enjoy the novel. I couldn't bond with Green and had a hard time understanding why she did certain things and why she showed Freya so much loyalty. The book was a bit slow and didn't have much going on. I also didn't like that there were parts of the story that they didn't explain. For example, who were Blue's parents? There were several time jumps that made the book confusing in the later parts of the novel. Overall, this book was a bit of a letdown and difficult to get into. I would recommend reading a sample before buying.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  

.

Book Review - The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger

Photo Credit - Amazon

During an early morning in November, a woman and a man board a private plane heading to Geneva. The plane never makes it to the destination as it crashes in the Alps. Matthew Werner is among the passengers who disappeared. He leaves behind his young wife, Annabel, who is unable to cope with his disappearance. As Annabel tries to come to terms with her husband's death, she learns that her husband has kept a few secrets from her. While digging into his life, Annabel unwittingly puts herself in the crosshairs of his enemies.

Society journalist Marina Tourneau has finally made it big. She is now engaged in the famous Ellis family. She can finally stop writing about the powerful families now that she is one of them. However, when one of her close friends is murdered, she agrees to work one more story. While investigating for her story, she realizes that someone close to her might be involved her mentor's murder. Who is after Annabel? Will Marina be able to trust anyone?

I love thrillers and when I saw this book, I thought this book might be interesting. I found the plot to be interesting but, quite predictable. I didn't like many of the characters as I thought they were very one dimensional and not very well developed. I didn't really care if they got their happy ending or if they fell into a ditch. Overall, the book is a page-turner but, not a very good one.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Book Review - Draw and Paint Super Cute Animals: 35 Step-by-Step Demonstrations by Jane Maday

Photo Credit - Amazon

In this newest book by Jane Maday, she teaches readers how to draw cute animals. Utilizing photo references to create pencil drawings, the author shows simple techniques to add more depth to the drawings by using colored pencils and watercolor. Readers can learn to draw puppies, dogs, rabbits, cats, songbird, ducklings, flamingos, frogs and chipmunks.

I found the book to be easy to read. However, it didn't improve my atrocious drawing skills. I liked that the book included ways to paint our drawings. I liked that Jane included ways to add more dimensions to our drawings, such as flowers. Overall, a good book people who like learning to draw books.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Book Review - The Camelot Code: The Once and Future Geek by Mari Mancusi + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

An ancient and powerful relic is accidentally dropped down the Well of Dreams.  While trying to retrieve the relic, the young King Arthur falls into the well and time travels to the 21st century.  Arthur is desperate to return back to his time but, when he learns about his fate, he is hesitant to return back to his time. 

Sophie and Stu with the help of Merlin find themselves racing against the clock to bring back the pint-sized hero. While Stu is pretending to be Arthur, Sophie travels back to her time to retrieve Arthur. Utilizing their gaming experience, will Stu and Sophie be able to save the correct timeline?

I found the book to be a fun and enjoyable read. I liked how the author combined elements of gaming and fantasy. I thought the "pattern/cheat code" to release the sword from the stone to be quite funny. I remember having to do button combos like that to unlock special Easter eggs. The novel was a fun light-hearted read about young Arthur in a geeky way.

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

THE CAMELOT CODE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE GEEK Blog Tour Assets

About The Book:

Title: THE CAMELOT CODE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE GEEK

Author: Mari Mancusi

Pub. Date: November 20, 2018

Publisher: Disney Hyperion 

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 346

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD

Young King Arthur accidentally time travels to the 21st century and googles himself, discovering the not-so-happily ever after in store for him once he pulls the sword from the stone. He decides he'd much rather stay here--and join the football team instead.

Now modern day gamer geeks Sophie and Stu, with the help of Merlin, find themselves in a race against time to pull a Camelot-size caper--get that sword pulled from the stone and the stubborn once and future king back to the past where he belongs. While Arthur takes on the role of wide-receiver in an attempt to save the football team from a losing season, Sophie and Stu sword-fight, joust, and horseback ride their way through Camelot as they fight to save the timeline. If they fail, the world as they know it (not to mention the existence of pepperoni pizza!) will cease to exist forever.

About Mari:

Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small--so she chose to write about them instead. Today she works as an award-winning young adult author and freelance television producer, for which she has won two Emmys.

When not writing about fanciful creatures of myth and legend, Mari enjoys traveling, cosplay, snowboarding, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure—playing videogames. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon, and their two dogs.

Mari is pronounced like the name Mary. Mancusi is pronounced man-COO-see.

For updates on all Mari's books, subscribe to her newsletter. 

 Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of THE CAMELOT CODE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE GEEK, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2842/?

Tour Schedule:

Week Two:

11/19/2018- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review

11/20/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review

11/21/2018- Jump Into Books- Review

11/22/2018- Such A Novel Idea- Review

11/23/2018- Two points of interest- Review

Book Spotlight - Wilder by Andrew Simonet + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

**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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

About The Book:

Title: WILDER

Author: Andrew Simonet

Pub. Date: November 13, 2018

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD

I met Melissa in the rubber room, a.k.a. in-school suspension. And that’s not her real name.

She had secrets, I had enemies.

“People are either useful or dangerous,” she said. “One or the other.”

“Which one am I?” I said.

“You’re both.”

Meili was right. (That’s her real name.)

You can solve a lot of problems if you don’t mind getting hurt.

Jason Wilder is in permanent in-school suspension for fighting. Meili Wen gets there by breaking a girl’s finger. Jason and Meili don’t just connect; they collide. Two people who would never cross paths―outsiders from radically different backgrounds―they form an exhiliarating, unpredictable bond. When circumstances push, they push back. There’s no plan. And there’s no stopping.

"I am so crap. How can you stand being with me? Don’t answer that or I will crash this thing with both of us on it, swear to god, are you ready?”

Yes. No. Didn’t matter.

I reached both arms around Meili’s waist as we zoomed down the hill.

About Andrew:

I am a writer and choreographer in Philadelphia. I am interested in messy, complex humans colliding with rigid systems. I am interested in how unequal everything is, and the stories we tell ourselves about that. I am interested in the stories men tell ourselves about everything. I am interested in what bodies know that brains don't. I think pretty is the enemy of beautiful.

My debut young adult novel, Wilder, will be published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in November 2018. I am currently writing a sequel.

I was a founding Co-Director of Philadelphia's Headlong Dance Theater from 1993-2013. We made raucous performance works.

I am an activist and organizer for artists having sustainable lives. I founded Artists U (programs in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and South Carolina) and wrote Making Your Life as an Artist.

Career stuff: my creative work has been supported by the Creative Capital Foundation, The NEA, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The New England Foundation for the Arts, Yaddo, and Ucross. I received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, an Independence Fellowship in the Arts, and a Bessie for Choreography at the New York Dance and Performance Awards.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of WILDER, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2845/?

Tour Schedule:

Week Two:

11/19/2018- BookHounds- Interview

11/20/2018- Do You Dog-ear?- Review

11/21/2018- The Desert Bibliophile- Review

11/22/2018- Two points of interest- Review

11/23/2018- Oh Hey! Books.- Review