Chaderick by Lauren D.W. Luchsinger Fox

Synopsis:
When a mysterious new villain stumps the heroes of Hero Town, Chaderick sets out to solve the crime. Unfortunately, Chaderick has no special powers, no status, and no experience. Making matters worse, Chaderick can't seem to shake off Hole, the relentlessly chipper sister of a superhero who always wants to tag along. Will Chaderick ever become the hero he knows he can be?

My Thoughts:
Chaderick: Not A Vampire, Not A Zombie, Not A Superhero was an interesting book. I thought it was going to be a middle grade book, but it turned out to be a book for younger children. If I had to compare it to something, I would compare it to the advanced level of the learning how to read books that I used to read as a young child. For me, the plot was a bit too silly, but I could see how a child would love it. One thing that really impressed me was the author’s age. I don’t think she was even thirteen at the time she wrote this book. Yet she wrote an enjoyable book for children. The book had no spelling errors, or grammar mistakes that I caught. Several points in the book had me chuckling. For instance, when Evil-Man sent his letter to Chaderick and Chaderick began to read it, that made me chuckle. I think that children in first through third grade will definitely enjoy this book. 


I give Chaderick: Not A Vampire, Not A Zombie, Not A Superhero: 3/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5725873.Lauren_D_W_Luchsinger_Fox

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Synopsis:
From the author of the “real page-turner” (Seventeen) Such a Rush comes an unforgettable new drama that follows friends-turned-lovers as they navigate the passions, heartbreaks, and intrigue of country music fame.

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

My Thoughts:
I’m not sure what I can say about Dirty Little Secret without giving away spoilers. However, I will try to make this review as spoiler free as possible. When I first read the synopsis, I was excited. A book about a fiddle player sounded original. Also, I love books about music. However, Dirty Little Secret turned out to be just okay to me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it. It turned out to be your typical chick-lit novel. There was nothing that set it apart from the hundreds of other chick-lit novels.

I can’t really pinpoint what annoyed me about the book. I think it was a combination of Bailey, Sam, and Bailey’s parents. Bailey drove me crazy because she allowed her life to be controlled by her parents. Until Sam practically forces her to join the band, she refuses to defy her parents. 

Speaking of Sam, I didn’t care for the way he treated Bailey. He was horrible to her the first eighty percent of the book. After realizing something, he starts to treat her better. However, it doesn’t make up for him being a douche bag before. 

Bailey’s parents completely disown her and treat her horribly. They refuse to see her or talk to her. They go as far as to not let her go to any of her sister's events. If you love your child, you don’t do that to them. 

There were several good points about the book. It held my interest the whole way through. A few of the characters were funny. I really liked Ace and Charlotte. It was interesting to watch their relationship develop. Even though this wasn’t my favorite book, I will continue to read Jennifer Echols novels because I liked her previous ones. 


I give Dirty Little Secret: 3/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.jennifer-echols.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferecholsbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferechols
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/203238.Jennifer_Echols

I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Unusual Awakening by S.M. Knowles blog tour

Title: Unusual Awakening
Author: S.M. Knowles
Genre: Young Adult
Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Book Description:
With tears and a tight hug, Rylee Everley’s dad left for Afghanistan with the Army Reserve. Since his deployment, her mom has been distant, her sisters are constantly fighting, and Rylee, at only thirteen years old, has to be the glue to keep them together. While her mother stays locked in her room, Rylee has been forced into the role of parent.
Now, two years later, a freak accident involving a bus at school promises to restore some normality to her family. In spite of not knowing how their father is, her mother is happy and her sisters don’t seem to fight as much as they used to. Rylee herself is seeing more of her friends and is even trying to sort out her own feelings about Brock Parker. However, something dark threatens to disrupt that normality for personal gain, and that darkness is willing to break every rule to get what it wants.

S.M. Knowles was born in Elmira, New York where she was swept away in a whirlwind to the Land of Oz—Independence, Kansas. Her parents were relocating for working opportunities and decided that this would be the perfect place to start new roots. Little did she know that this place would contribute to the inspiration for the first book she wrote in her Rylee Everley Series.

While growing up, S.M. would travel the roads around her house while imagining she was somewhere else. Her imagination would take her everywhere, making the long hot summer days seem shorter throughout her fantasies. 

At the age of twelve, she decided to write her first book. Filled mostly with dialog, she filled up one-hundred pages, front and back. After taking the book downstairs to show her mom, and persuading her to buy her more paper, she excitedly ran back to her room. As she barreled through the door, S.M. tripped over items left on her floor, and her papers came raining down in her room. Discouraged, she stood there in tears, picking up her papers and throwing them in the trash. Her work had no organization, no numbers on her pages, just a child fulfilling a joy that she would put down and not pick up again.

When she became older, she joined the military for something different. In that time, she was able to explore many places and even met her husband in Iraq. After coming home, she started her family in Arizona and went back to school, earning a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Training. 

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrOQwyLPeMM&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Excerpt:

Getting up, I walk over to the tree line. I don’t see anything around, so I grab a rock and throw it to scare off any animals. Walking in further, I call out, “Hello?” Everything is quiet. I wait a few more seconds. Something feels off. Walking in a little further, I hear a branch break. I know I didn’t step on anything, so something’s unquestionably out there. “Who’s out here?” I yell. A big oak tree stands directly in front of me, right next to him. “No, no, no, no,” I beg.

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Never Lie-Ever by Ritu Goyal

Synopsis:
Adapted from an Indian folktale, Never Lie-Ever is a story about family, faith, and honesty. A mama bird makes a delicious meal to share with the family. Papa Bird could not resist to wait and finishes it all up only to get himself in trouble.Mama Bird, with her honesty and confidence, gets Papa Bird to accept his mistake and saves him from the trouble.

My Thoughts:
Never Lie-Ever was an interesting children's book. In the book, Cherya makes some rice pudding for Cheronta. Cherya tells Cheronta to wait until the rice pudding cools to eat it. Cheronta decides to eat it all that night, and then lie to his wife in the morning when she discovers the empty bowl. After that, Cheronta gets in a bad situation because he lied.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. It teaches kids that lying is wrong. However, Cherya lies to Billie, the cat. She lies to Billie to help get Cheronta out of the well. Even though it is a lie that helped her, lying is still lying. Also, the author tried really hard to make the book rhyme. It made the sentence structure weird at times. I had to read a couple of the sentences twice to make sense of them.

I did love that the book incorporated Hindi words. It's always fun to learn a new language. I love books that inadvertently teach you a language as you read them. The glossary in the back was helpful. I also loved the cute illustrations. My favorite was the illustration of Cherya swinging across the well.

I give Never Lie-Ever: 3/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.author-ritu.com/home
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6030315.Ritu_Goyal

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Toodles and Teeny by Gillian Neimark

Synopsis:
When Toodles meets Teeny, they hit it off right away and are soon together all the time, to the exclusion of all Toodles' other friends. When the barnyard friends begin to feel left out, Toodles realizes that friendship can be best when it's shared. Learning to build friendships is one of the ways children develop into well-rounded, emotionally healthy human beings and Toodles and Teeny encompasses all that complexity and demonstrates the importance of friendship in the lives of children.

My Thoughts:
Toodles and Teeny was an adorable children's book. The book teaches about the importance of friendship. Toodles is a turkey. She has never felt like she belonged, even though she has a lot of friends. One day, she meets another turkey named Teeny. Teeny is so small that Toodles doesn't believe he is a turkey at first. Even though Toodles and Teeny are different, they instantly become best friends.

Toodles and Teeny teaches the importance of having a best friend. A best friend is always there for you no matter what happens. It is fun to spend time with them. However, having a best friend does not mean that you should forget about your other friends. Toodles loves spending time with Teeny so much that she forgets about her other friends. Their feelings get hurt. She finds a solution by spending time with all of her friends at once. 

Toodles and Teeny is a great children's book. It would be a perfect book to read to the children on Thanksgiving. I recommend it to children three and older.

I give Toodles and Teeny: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.jillneimark.com/
Blog: http://goldenrectangles.blogspot.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4543692.Gillian_Jill_Neimark

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Sia by Josh Grayson

Synopsis:
When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

My Thoughts:
Sia was one of the top ten best books that I've read this year. If I didn't know it before I started reading the book, I would have never know that it was written by a debut author. The writing style was very experienced. I loved the way the words flowed, helping to create a picture in my head of the story.

From the first page, I was captivated. When Sia woke up in the middle of the park and was panicking, I was panicking for her. I became very intrigued. I needed to know who she was and how she got there. I had to know more about this character. 

As we got to know Sia, I began to like her more and more. When the reader finds out who she is, I was a bit nervous. I wasn't sure if the author could pull the story line off. However, I had nothing to worry about. He pulled it off eloquently and made me love Sia even more because of the ways that she changed. The ending was very emotional. It made me cry and smile at the same time. It's very rare for a book to make me feel that way.

My favorite character was Carol. I loved how kind she was. She didn't have to help Sia. She could have just left her there. Carol helped Sia out of the goodness of her own heart. She was like a mother to Sia. In fact, for most of the book, she was a better mother than Sia's own mom.

I loved this book. I can't recommend it highly enough. I will definitely be buying a print copy when it comes out. Josh Grayson has just been added to my list of authors that I will buy his future books without even reading the synopsis.

I give Sia: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://joshgrayson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshgraysonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/josh_grayson
Instagram: http://instagram.com/joshgraysonauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7132257.Josh_Grayson

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I was in no way compensated for this review.

The Replacement by Rachael Wade trailer reveal

The Replacement by Rachael Wade

Publication date: January 27th 2014

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:

*Contains sexually explicit content and mature subject matter, including language and elements of abuse.*

A gritty New Adult drama about a young woman’s self-destructive quest to find purpose, self-worth, and love in a broken world.

My name is Elise Duchamp. I’m twenty-three years old and I’m known as the town whore.

No, not the kind who exchanges sexual favors for money. The other kind. The kind who gives it all away for free, whenever and however she likes. I am that girl. The one everyone whispers about and the one none of the girls seem to like, because all of their boyfriends either want to sleep with me or already have. Promiscuity is my thing—the kind that slowly, violently turns my insides black, but gives me something I need.

All things considered, I’m not completely reckless. I’m safe, and contrary to popular opinion, I do have a heart. I live in a world of careless choices, and with those choices come careless people. I cannot judge them, because I am one of them. I too bow down to the altar of the self-serving. I am not a good friend. I am not and never could be anyone’s girlfriend. I’m convinced any goodness in me shriveled up and died long ago.

But I am a replacement. That is something I know how to be, and this is a story of the lengths I’d go to in order to keep it that way.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17608477-the-replacement?ac=1

Rachael Wade is the Amazon bestselling author of The Preservation Series, The Resistance Trilogy, and the upcoming sci-fi series, The Keepers Trilogy. When she’s not writing, she’s busy learning French, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. Visit her at www.RachaelWade.com and www.LightsOnOutreach.com, or come chat with her on Twitter via @RachaelWade.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Twitter