Return of the Outlaw by CM Curtis
What were the main themes of the book? Betrayal, love and standing firm. Jeff is the hero that can survive anything but when he loses the woman he loves because ‘he is not good enough’ he retaliates. From start to finish, this book reminded me of the song by Kenny Rogers - Coward of the County. What is your favourite scene? How does one choose a favourite from so many good scenes. The scene that reached out to me was when Emelia treats Jeff’s wounds. This is the beginning of his fight and it seems as if he is in the middle of a grey fog. The writer then expertly guides Jeff and the reader through an emotionally charged story with distinctive narration and superb writing skills. Were you able to connect with the main character and why? Honestly, no. I was able to sense his loss and frustration but connected more with Anne. She appears to hold an important place in his heart and it is only when you get to the end, you realise how deep her ‘betrayal’ affected Jeff. The way the writer wraps up their story, wow. You’ll need tissues, I can tell you that much. Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Source: http://www.authors-friend.com
The Barber's Conundrum and Other Stories by John Hartnett
What were the main themes of the book? Real life stories with a humorous twist. Much like Benjamin Wallace’s down to earth approach to life and parenting, John Hartnett shares the lighter side of life based on his experiences which weren’t always stereotypical but always flat out funny. This book was well-edited and I liked it A LOT. What was your favourite chapter? Here A Product, There A Product - This chapter focuses on product placement and drips with sarcasm. With the Internet and social media, people don’t always realise when they are being sold a product because of product placement. Were you able to connect with the main character and why? This is a non-fiction humour book based on the experiences of the author. Some chapters (experiences) were easy for the reader to understand and connect but some seemed out of place as if he was trying to ensure the book had a certain number of pages. Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Source: http://www.authors-friend.com
The Little Boy Who Was Precious by Reagan Chesnut
Which did you find more appealing, the introduction or the conclusion? The introduction because the author uses it as a ‘guide’ for the family unit who is starting out. When the baby is born, they live together and as he grows older his parents move into their own home. For this reader, it is a necessary book for children to explore and understand the extended family unit. Why would you recommend or not recommend this book? Anyone who has read a Ladybird book growing up, will appreciate this story and author. It is as precious as the title and illustrations. My only criticism is the pricing of the book. I really wanted to gift it to my nephews and nieces but more than $5 for 35 pages seemed a bit much. We recently bought Twas the NIght Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol for a lot less. I understand that a lot of effort has gone into the book and at some point the author needs to recover her costs but the price did make me think twice. Others may feel different. Did the book description relate to the story? It did and although it is fine as it is I would have liked to know from the description how this book would benefit a child. How educational is it? Which age group is it best suited for? (I think any child 3 and above would appreciate the story) Were the illustrations hand painted? (I think they were) A more detailed book description might explain the price a little more as well. Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Source: http://www.authors-friend.com
The Little Boy, Who Was Precious
Which did you find more appealing, the introduction or the conclusion? The introduction because the author uses it as a ‘guide’ for the family unit who is starting out. When the baby is born, they live together and as he grows older his parents move into their own home. For this reader, it is a necessary book for children to explore and understand the extended family unit. Why would you recommend or not recommend this book? Anyone who has read a Ladybird book growing up, will appreciate this story and author. It is as precious as the title and illustrations. My only criticism is the pricing of the book. I really wanted to gift it to my nephews and nieces but more than $5 for 35 pages seemed a bit much. We recently bought Twas the Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol for a lot less. I understand that a lot of effort has gone into the book and at some point the author needs to recover her costs but the price did make me think twice. Others may feel different.
Did the book description relate to the story? It did and although it is fine as it is I would have liked to know from the description how this book would benefit a child. How educational is it? Which age group is it best suited for? (I think any child 3 and above would appreciate the story) Were the illustrations hand painted? (I think they were) A more detailed book description might explain the price a little more as well.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
What Lies Inside (Blood Bound, #1)
What kind of conflict does the main character face? Amelia has just found out she is a vampire and faces internal conflicts on how to deal with this revelation. First, she must learn to control her thirst for blood and then there's Ty, the love interest. Every page made my heart beat a little faster. What did you like about the book … The romance bits which were then twisted with paranormal swirls, mystery and suspense elements, not to mention this was an author who paid a lot of attention to detail. I really liked that the chapter headers were slightly different in colour.
Favourite character(s) … Ty and Kendrick. Both of them gave this book a Jacob / Edward feel. As the story twists and turns, the reader sees Amelia's evident choice, but is that really the end of it? Won't spoil it for you.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Boundless
What were the main relationships explored in this book? Friendship and lovers. Because there 3 main characters, 2 male and 1 female, of course one of the main questions of the book was who would end up with whom? The author did an incredible job at keeping this reader guessing and finally revealing the answer. What I liked about the book … It was one of the most interesting and realistic books I have had the pleasure of reading. You feel the emotions and experiences of each main character which makes them more human as the book progresses.
Favourite character(s) … Ray was my favourite and the ending was heartbreaking for me, not going to spoil it for you so you'll have to read to find out. Between Duncan and Ray, the latter was more realistic. Duncan often struck me as too good to be true.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Duty: a novel of Rhynan
What did you think about the writing style? The author had created an imaginary country and it was impressive the way she had all details like journeys, villages and roads mapped out. Her language was easy to understand and her tone fit really well with the story. Favourite scene …. When Brielle recollects about how "the broth resembled the gruel" and she opens up about how difficult life was and how her father taught her to hunt. In comparison, we all have moments like this. Even when we are stuck in a terrible situation, we are able to look back and remember a time that was much worse.
Favourite quote … "I needed a better solution. Waiting for the conspirators to move seemed more foolish by the moment. If they wanted me, they would have to find me. I was going to go and do what I could to stop another civil war."
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Intoxicated
Favourite location... Lauren's office after Blake redecorated it for her. One thing seems quite obvious, the writer seemed to have good sense of decorating the interior locations in her novel. It was absolutely creative and fun to see what idea she would come up with next. Favourite scene... When Lauren and Mathew finally kissed. You could almost hear the sighs of relief when this happened. Sometimes, the writer made it so obvious and then at others she kept you guessing so I was really glad when it happened.
Favourite quote... My favourite quotes were "We have a long history of being miles apart." "Don't think I didn't notice you checking him out." These are lines you would hear in any relationship and made the characters easy to connect with.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Finding Claire Fletcher
How realistic was the characterization? All characters were believable. The way the scenes were described and settings laid out, their actions made sense and their terror was definitely real. Even if it was not the author's intention, this book raised a lot of questions about how people recover from the significant trauma of sexual abuse. Did you feel you were experiencing the time and place in which the book was set? The settings were old and stale. I could see and smell the disgusting places where Claire was held. Lisa Regan's writing made it seem like you were standing in the same place as Claire. I swear it gave me goosebumps.
What are some of the book's themes? For me, the central themes were lies, murder, betrayal, kidnapping, torture and rape. All themes painted a gruesome picture of a young girl whose life is bound by invisible chains of fear. Lisa Regan is an amazing storyteller.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Chasing the Lost
How does the pacing of the story feel? The story moves from scene to scene in military style precision. The reader isn't left without necessary knowledge of what is happening but that doesn't mean the reader won't have questions about what is going to happen to whom. I couldn't wait to get to the ending. Was the setting believable and interesting? The author's military background definitely helped in keeping things believable. Chase isn't the perfect hero and he's looking for a way to run away from his demons but Sarah Briggs showing up at his doorstep makes him face his demons head on in a story I had a tough time putting down.
What did you think of the story structure? The story structure had all the elements to keep readers entertained and at the edge of their seats. Scandal, the Russian mob, the damsel in distress, a child in danger and a hero who's personal life is as dramatic as the mission he reluctantly signs up.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Dance For A Dead Princess
What were the main relationships explored in this book? I felt that Nicholas was the central character to plot and flow. Most of the book covered two main relationships and these were of Taylor - Nicholas and Nicholas - Lucy.3 things I liked about the book … I liked all the facts about the Royal family and that the author gave just enough information without boring readers with too much information. I was intrigued that it talked about a secret tape made by Princess Diana and I really wonder how true this is. I love books about the kings and queens of England so this is my new favourite author.
Favourite character(s) … Taylor. She is a combination of beauty, curiosity and passion for uncovering what really happened all those years ago. I also liked that her relationship with Nicholas was gradually added to the story. It gave the story a romantic feel.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
I, Walter
Is the plot interesting and engaging? Every single book club member who read this book as part of the weekly discussions fell in love with it. The original concept and quirky characters make it engaging for any reader. Content (overall theme, idea and setting) - The story is told from Walter's POV. He is older and reflects on his younger days. This voice that the author used was consistent from start to finish with little clues about what was coming next. I really liked this.
What I liked - Although there were quite a few subplots running in the story, these were not confusing and did not distract the reader from the main plot. I also liked the fact that the internal conflicts of the characters did not overshadow their stories or interactions with one another.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
The Secret Of The Sacred Scarab
What did you think of the plot? The overall plot seemed like a cross between Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock and Carolyn Keene. Every page was filled with mystery, adventure and excitement. I can't wait to read book two. Favourite scene …. When Justin tries to 'talk' to the camel. This scene sent my heart racing. You know the boys are in danger but talking to the camel and saying it understood was also funny.
Favourite quote … "Swords of shimmering sunlight occasionally penetrated broken parts of the walls, thrusting through the chinks and cracks, creating a mysterious glow in the ancient building." - I loved, loved the way she described places and people.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
The Darkest Lie
What were the main character's emotions? Thane is such a lovable character. His emotions go from teenage confusion to adult curiosity. He grows up reluctantly and goes from being invisible to everybody to the point where everyone wants something from him. What did you think of the style of the writer? The reading experience was just okay. It wasn't fantastic or out of this world great. The book was edited with some minor flaws and written well but it didn't pull me into the story as much as I would have liked. I felt like there was too much focus on dialogue and too little on plot development itself.
What did you think of the ending? It was expected and I liked it. Without giving too much of the plot away, this isn't one of those books where you have to wait, tongues wagging for the next book.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Be Careful What You Wish For (Saga of the New Gods, #1)
Do the characters face internal / external conflicts? When they wake up to a world where magic rules them, the immediate conflicts are external but only in the beginning. As the story progresses, the magic seems to have manifested on their internal conflicts and you are soon able to get a good glimpse of their insecurities. Was the plot consistent? Yes, it was. The author makes it a point to keep a consistent voice for his narration and for each of his characters. Each of them are different and it was fascinating to see that none of their behavioural patterns overlapped to the point you got the characters mixed up.
Were the themes and issues interesting? Some book club members could not relate to Dungeons and Dragons, some of us could. But don't let the video game element stop you from reading the book. It is the characters that make this book interesting and their stories even with the magic, as individuals or as a group are universal elements about how we feel and act in everyday life.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Malled
What was the writing like? Show and tell was balanced and this is not something you find in a lot of books. Most tend to prefer to do either one and not both. This author shows and tells in a way that readers can easily get into the head of his characters. What did you think of the ending? Given Hector's situation, there are only so many ways the story can end. The ending was not a surprise to me and although key points are resolved, I did feel like there is going to be a sequel but I could be wrong.
Overall impressions - This is a book I will recommend to anyone who is looking for a chiling horror story with a touch of romance, revenge and hatred. Tidball's writing style definitely gives readers a good time.
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.