Saturday, 23 October 2021

Book Review: Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass


 

Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at her family’s gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago, the Plumeria. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. It’s been two years since Reyna’s mother passed away, two years since Aiden – her childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everything – left the island to pursue his music dreams. Reyna’s friends are all planning their futures and heading abroad. Even Daddy seems to want to move on, leaving her to try to keep the Plumeria running.

And that's when Aiden comes roaring back into her life – as a VIP guest at the resort.

Aiden is now one-third of DJ Bacchanal – the latest, hottest music group on the scene. While Reyna has stayed exactly where he left her, Aiden has returned to Tobago with his Grammy-nominated band and two gorgeous LA socialites. And he may (or may not be) dating one of them…

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, Where the Rhythm Takes You is a romantic, mesmerizing novel of first love and second chances.



My Thoughts 

This was a very nice YA Contemporary debut novel from a Tobagonian author Sarah Dass.

In this story we meet Reyna, a young woman who is at that point of her life where she longs for more but feels guilty about leaving her father and her commitment to "Plumeria" a hotel she inherited from her mother.

Meanwhile, childhood friend and ex boyfriend turned music superstar Aiden, having left Tobago some years before, returns with new friends, members of the music group DJ Bacchanal to spend his birthday. As they reunite old feelings surface and Reyna's life turns complicated.

I think this was a very enjoyable story, but for younger readers and lovers of YA. I always like with books from Trinidad and Tobago to see places and the culture represented in the pages. In my opinion the author did a great job capturing that.



Wednesday, 20 October 2021

BOOK REVIEW: HIS LITTLE STAR BY MICHELLE KARISE


 


BLURB

Traveling to Italy for business sounded like a dream. Three glorious weeks of sightseeing and sampling the local nightlife.

Matteo Russo caught my attention from the start.

We met at a crowded nightclub. The gorgeous older man sauntered over, plied me with liquor, and whispered illicit invitations in my ear. It’s no surprise we ended up naked and horizontal in his bed.

The next morning, I made my graceful exit with a kiss, convinced it would be the last time we saw each other.

Imagine my shock when he popped up at the office. Turns out he’s the guy that’s trying to ruin my family’s business.

My job was to use whatever tools in my arsenal to force him to capitulate.

A Roman conquered my heart.

But secrets threatened to destroy us forever.


My Thoughts 

I love that word Matteo called Naomi "Mi Stellina." What an effect this had on me every time.

This book was short and very romantic. It is the type of book that you can pick up on a rainy Sunday afternoon when you want to relax. It was a steamy read too. The sex scenes were very passionate. In spite of that however the book was very well written.

On a business trip to Rome to deal with her father's new acquisition "a hotel" in Rome which, upon its grand opening seems to have a lot of controversy surrounding it. Naomi sent to Rome to fix all that wanted to prove to her father that she was capable of handling this big opportunity. Little did he know that a trip to a nightclub and an encounter with a handsome stranger "Matteo" would change her life forever. Matteo looking for a one night stand, was captivated by Naomi's striking good looks and confidence.

Little did Naomi know, Matteo was her father's rival. This revelation set off a chain of events so captivating that it will have you on edge till the very end.

These characters were very well written and their chemistry was off the chain.

I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommend to romance lovers.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thursday, 7 October 2021

BOOK BLITZ: PERFECT ALWAYS BY TRICIA COPELAND

 

  

Title: Perfect Always
Author: Tricia Copeland
Genre: Contemporary Romance/College Romance/Multi-cultural romance
Cover Designer: Daryl McCool, dam Cool Graphics
Publisher: true bird publishing llc
Editor: Jo Michaels, Indie Books Gone Wild
Publication Date: September 22, 2020

Blurb:
A girl aiming for a successful big city career. But what if her heart belongs to a small-town rancher?

Chloe dreams of leaving her tiny hometown behind and landing a job in an exhilarating metropolitan city. Toughing out her sophomore-level college business classes, she’s frustrated with the challenges of long-distance-dating her high school sweetheart, Adam. A chance encounter with Isaac, a hunky big-city-bred basketball player, leaves her confused and when Adam lays out a plan to move into his family’s ranch estate she worries her goals may be trampled underfoot.

Realizing following her passion means leaving Adam, she makes a clean break. Isaac waits in the wings and with Chloe’s growing affection for him, he wins her heart. But a school abroad program, San Francisco internship, and his drive for a professional basketball career complicate their relationship.

Can she find happiness in a big city with an on-the-rise basketball star or does her heart lie somewhere else?

Perfect Always is a standalone contemporary romance. If you like spark-filled moments and a dreamy love story, then you’ll be enchanted by Tricia Copeland’s addition to the Perfect romance series.





An avid runner and Georgia native, Tricia now lives with her family and four-legged friends in Colorado. She believes that magic infuses every aspect of our lives, whether it is the magic of falling in love, discovering a new passion, a beautiful sunset, or a book that transports us to another world. You can find all her titles from contemporary romance and fantasy, to dystopian fiction at www.triciacopeland.com.

Author Links:




Wednesday, 6 October 2021

GUEST POST: THE MANY REINCARNATIONS OF CINDERELLA by BRUCE CALHOUN

 

The Many Reincarnations of Cinderella



Perhaps the most famous fairy tale in Western literature, Cinderella has been retold and reimagined in a staggering number of books and movies.   The books and movies fall within two categories:  modern day Cinderella stories featuring an underdog heroine and historical Cinderella stories with a twist – such as telling the story from the point of view of a mouse that gets turned into a horse. Cinderella has also become part of a catchphrase for any sports team that attains great success against all odds or any individual who goes from rags to riches.   I will confine myself to commenting on a few historical Cinderella books, including my own:  Ardennia:  The Unlikely Story of Cinderella’s Prince.





Let’s start with Cinderella and the Prince by Bridget Cantwell.  In a sentence this version of Cinderella is about childhood friends James and Gabriella reuniting to save the kingdom of Essenia from an evil prince (we authors love to have titles like Narnia, Ardennia and Essenia).  The plot comes down to Gabriella  – the  Cinderella in this story – preventing her stepmother from stealing her inheritance. The magic that overcomes all obstacles in this story comes from Gabriella’s courage, loyalty, and love for her friends.

The Prince’s Diary by Renee Ting simply takes a peek at Cinderella’s prince’s personal diary to tell the tale from his point of view.  This novella of 32 pages is geared towards juveniles.  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, however, was written for older readers and was made into a popular movie.   In this take on Cinderella the magic flows from the gift of obedience that is given to her by a fairy.  As you can imagine this gift complicates life for Cinderella and is something she must overcome.  To spice things up various mythical creatures such as elves, ogres, gnomes and giants were incorporated into the tale.

 

Recent Cinderella spin offs are:  Cinderella is evil (2020) by Jamie Campell (tells story from viewpoint of Cinderella's sister), Creating Cinderella (2020) by  K.A. Mitimore (Twelve retold stories by twelve different authors), Cinderella is Dead by  (2020) Kalynn Bayron (Two hundred years after Cinderella found her prince a new generation of teen girls attend an annual ball) and, of course, Ardennia (release date October 5, 2021).

 

Ardennia, in a nutshell, captures the magic, brutality and earthiness of the age of chivalry as it chronicles the many adventures and tribulations of Cinderella’s prince.  It uses the same point of view as The Prince’s Diary, but adds original tales about pixies, trolls, dwarves, fairies and nymphs.  It also has secondary and tertiary love stories that feature a buffoon and a hunchback.  In addition Ardennia brings to life an amazing number of memorable medieval characters that include a bean counter who wagers his gold tooth in a dice game, a merchant who can never be too prosperous, a band of female brigands, pilgrims that argue over who is the most pious, a cobbler who has come into the possession of a goose that lays golden eggs, a hermit who is mistaken for a hobgoblin and a beggar who has been cursed with leprosy for committing all the cardinal sins.

 

What makes Ardennia unique is that it adheres to the following tenent:  There is much that is magical in this world, but hardly any real magic to be had.  This nuance allows for a great deal of realism in my novel and keeps the magic – most of the time – at the periphery of the action.


My Bio:  I am a literature-major drop out who received a Bachelor’s degree in biology and science education from the University of Wisconsin.  I taught marine biology in Puerto Rico, worked as a diver for the Australian Institute of Marine Science, wrote and award winning play and founded Save the Rainforest in 1988 www.savetherainforestnow.org.  In my spare time I read, bicycle, cross country ski and write plays and novels. 

 

To get the book, follow me or see reviews of Ardennia  go to:

www.literaryworksbrucecalhoun.com/novels.html

 

 

Monday, 4 October 2021

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: HARD CONVERSATIONS by BJ COMMUNICATES

 



Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-month book tour and $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway For Hard Conversations: Book 1: Breadcrumbs To The Past by BJ Communicates. The book tour will run Sept 6-October 29, 2021.

 

Genre: Urban Fiction

ISBN-978-1098380953

  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sometimes it’s the conversations not had that do the most damage to the people in our lives. Hard Conversations is a collection of short stories detailing the lives of five urban people who are standing at the intersection of their past and their potential. Sensing that something is still off in the lives that they have built, each has to make the crucial decision whether to address their secrets long buried, or to continue living in the uncomfortable matrix they created. Only they can decide what their future will bring.







EXCERPT

Our gifting often becomes our prison. I wrote this book to pull back the mask on our experience in the hopes that it compels us to confront our learned ability to white wash our pain with our talent and giftings. We are often taught that the greatest value that we bring to the world is solely present in what we do, what we earn, or how well we play. In reality our greatest value is in the stories that we can articulate to those we influence once we have reached the other side of trauma. Trauma that tried to silence our voice, trauma that caused a part of us to die in the fight, and trauma that threatened us to stay silent after our experience with it because we should just be grateful that we made it to the other side.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR 



BJ Communicates, aka Dr. Brad Johnson, LSSBB, CSM, is a Kingdom writer, a communication practitioner, and an influential Bible teacher. Given the assignments of assisting urban believers in articulating their stories, finding resolution, and gaining the language of the Kingdom, BJ continually creates and releases inspirational media content that highlights their stories and experiences. “The Holy Spirit is constantly giving me things to write; sometimes it’s a book, sometimes it’s an article for a Christian publication, sometimes it’s something for my blog site or social media, and sometimes it’s a song for me or another recording artist, I’m just the pen in His hand,” says BJ. In addition to faith-based media creator, he is the owner of Communic8 Life Consulting, a communication consulting firm that specializes in assisting couples, families, and business teams in improving their interpersonal communication skills; and is the co-pastor of the urban cafe church Transformed City in Richmond, VA.






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