Books – Ebooks – Reviews & More

Reviews

This is Great!! The screen is nicer than my wife's Kindle when looked at side by side. It will fit in my pocket in cargo pants. Less than 200$ at newegg. No DRM'd books will work, but there are lots of classics and bittorrent and a program called 'dedrm'. [You BUY the book first, then dedrm it.] I have enough books for 800-1000 years of solid reading now. I find I read books it portrait mode mostly [sideways] and I can read books without my glasses. The reader seems fairly well built and it is easy to use. You can even store files on it and put your books in folders of your own! Anything can be nit-picked to death, but this is great for the money!

I have had a white version of the JB-5 model for about 6 months now. I recommend it. This is a good general purpose eReader and mp3 player. On the plus side: 1. It hasn't gotten dirty or broken (not even the little hingey thing that covers the SD card area) yet. And I am not exactly kind to my electronic equipment. 2. It feels good in my hand, and my hands don't get tired holding it. The buttons are easy to use to change font size or open a dictionary or locate a bookmrk. Turning the page is easy with either the right or left hand. 3. The resolution of the screen is great. I can use the smallest of settings and still read text. And blowing up the text to a huge size is easy too (and still legible). 4. There is no flash, when I turn pages - and it is fast to open the larger books and files, I have on my SD card. 5. It is ridiculously easy to rotate the screen from portrait to landscape. -- which turns out to be necessary for one of the pdf poetry books, I was reading (artwork was across two pages). 6. I have a Mac and I have absolutely no problem downloading onto this eReader. 7. Some of the emerging authors are selling their books a chapter at a time or are selling their eBook directly from their own site. And for the authors I am following, they publish in txt, pdf, or fb2 formats. So this is great (and cheap) for me. 8. Ectaco will help me find specific books in electronic format-- even when it seems that only a hardcopy is available. All I have to do is ask. On the cool side, but I haven't used the feature much: 1. The dictionary area is set up for something like 6 or 7 different languages (and their conversions from one language to another). And the CD comes with a bunch more. On the minus side: 1. It looks like the publishing industry is going through the same pains that the music industry went through with CDs and mp3 files. They can't figure out what method they want to standardize on - and they are afraid the whole world is going to share their best books for free, rather than paying for them. So this eReader doesn't read the proprietary formats that are out there.

Reviews

I read a lot of romance, and enjoy reading sex scenes, so I'm no prude. Lately I've even been reading quite a bit of B and C grade junk. But nothing could have prepared me for the craptastic horribleness that was this book. With absolutely no plot to speak of, insipid characters and lame dialog, combined with cheesy and somewhat creepy sex scenes, I feel the need for a shower, and a magic pill to purge my mind from any memories of this book.

This is book one of the Pleasure Inn Trilogy. The Trilogy is about 3 best friends who have worn off men. The 3 women are not only best friends but also business partners; they own an interior design firm. Each woman has had her fill of men; Lindsay Bells is tried of the deadbeat men she dates scrounging off of her; Anna Deveau is looking for Prince Charming, but only finding self-serving aholes; Candace Steele is tired of men who used her for daddy's connections and influence. Their solution...swearing off men - this is where Pamina, the Goddess of Passion, comes into the story. She hires the interior design firm to turn a Victorian house into an Inn...the catch - well - each woman must create one fantasy room. Lindsey has her heart set on creating a fantasy BDSM room. However, the room she is assigned is too small to accommodate her plans...in steps the sexy-hot handyman, Brad Caldwell. This is an exceptional example of a novella; it set the stage for the entire trilogy without damaging the character development. I have the next two installments on my to read list.... All Worked Up: Pleasure Inn, Book 2 - Candace Steele's Book All Lit Up: Pleasure Inn, Book 3 - Anna Deveau's Book

Not only the premise is unreal. The characters are superficial and hard to care about.

this is a "romance" that is NOT - just a lot of not very well written sex. smut without a redeeming story...

This was a fun read. Really cute story, nice HEA ending. I guess it didn't rate higher because it was less steamy than I had hoped. I mean sure, they had a bit of fun, I just wasn't mentally invested in either of the main characters. I'm hoping the second book is better.

Reviews

The synopsis sounded good, so thought it might be worth checking out since it was free. As one reviewer already pointed out, the author's device of mangled cliches was cute the first few times. After that, a trick used too often is nothing more than an author's attempt to show off how his or her cleverness and is incredibly irritating. Please don't treat readers like morons by bashing them over the head with the same device over... and over... and OVER. Also, a caution to many budding authors out there - writing in dialect or otherwise deviating from standard written English is EXTREMELY difficult to pull off; few people since Mark Twain have succeeded. Cute tricks and painfully bad dialogue are not a substitute for good writing.

This is the first Christian fiction I've read. (I am more of a thriller/suspense reader, prefering Lee Child's Jack Reacher character, and others of that genre.) But a bit of romance makes a nice change, and trying something totally different can be enlightening. Since Forevermore was free, I decided to take a chance. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Bible references were worked into the whole story. The delighful Hope is a charming character who makes you smile at her positive attitude, despite being illiterate and having had more than her share of hardship in life. She comes across better than Jakob, who seems too frozen in his own world of pain. I never warmed to him, even when he falls in love with Hope. He remained too apart somehow. Or perhaps he was just not as developed as the fantastically written Hope! It was a joy to read this book because of Hope. The author really created a memorable character and Hope's story leaves you smiling whenever you remember the book. I shall think of Hope whenever I see a dandelion. Well, done, Cathy Marie Hake! I just might try another Christian fiction book in future....and even pay for it!

As someone who is not a genuine fan of Christian fiction, I did enjoy the book but could've done without the constant references to prayer and religion. If you like that particular genre, you will probably really enjoy this book because the story is original with a few surprising moments. The second half of the book has a much quicker pace than the first. I only gave it four stars because I found the Christian references to be repetitive and the "aw shucks, ain't gonna get scairt nohow" language grated on my nerves about halfway through. But the characters were endearing and the story was uplifting; all readers will likely enjoy Hope's mangled (yet immediately recognizeable) cliches. It was well worth a few hours of reading.

I could not finish this book. Before you even meet the other characters God is mentioned at least five times and that is on the first page of an ipod. Oh god bless this and because of God I am blah blah. I don't mind some (a little) religious undertones in a story but this was ridiculous. In a romance novel I rather the author not make God the main character of the story which makes this more a sermon than a romance.

By far the best Christian fiction I have ever read. This book will go on my list of favorite books ever. Such a wonderfully heart warming story....and such a delightful cast of characters. Made me want to pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Reviews

The only thing keeping me from giving this a 5 star is that the five books should have been published as one. Every book so far ends practically mid-sentence, definitely mid-thought/action, worse than Lord of the Rings. I read all four books in one week, and yes, I have a day job. These are crunchy snack food: tasty; light reading; and based in a good mythology. Though I am as desperate for the two main characters to finally come together, I appreciate the author's attempt to make this a fantasy novel (A Novel, not 5) rather than a romance. The first book was a little hard for me to get into, never having been or known a perky, pink-laced woman-child. But as her eyes are opened, fairly literally, to the world at large, we start to wonder what else is out there, and how Barrons fits in. And how we wish he'd fit in. Admit it, if there was a "[...]" this author would never have to write another thing to be set for life... after "book" 5, that is. I will definitely be re-reading all of these just before ordering the 5th installment. Because I can.

I enjoyed this book very much! I love to read about the fae and vamps and all that supernatural stuff. This book has a great story behind it, I could stand a little more romance but I think that will come in the other books.

Despite my aversion to reading Urban Fantasy and first person narrative, I love stories rooted in druid and faerie legend so out of deference to Karen M. Moning's outstanding Highlanders series when I saw a copy of Dark Fever on the free shelf at the library, I decided to give the author's Fever series a try. Moning's plot premise of fae magic is intriguing; however, her female protagonist is anything but. I was far more intrigued by the enigmatic Jerricho Barrons and the mysterious fae, V'lane. Terry Brooks' Shannara series is far superior fantasy series of druid/mystical world-building and storytelling. The motivation behind stretching this thin story premise into five books and hawking Fever trinkets on the author's web page is to market these books as a potential script treatment. Mac certainly comes across as a dense, self-centered Buffy/Sookie Stackhouse-esque character who is simply bestowed with super powers. So far, I feel compelled to finish reading this the series since it is incomplete but I have no desire to invest in the books. I only read subsequent books when they are available at library and feel no compulsion to write a review for Faefever, Bloodfever, or Dreamfever, inasmuch as narrator and protagonist Mac shows very little promise of growth or maturity and the storyline only grows darker. I just hope that Mac doesn't end up with Christian...D-student and southern hick has no place among the intelligent, witty, and educated MacKeltar women.

At first when I started I thought I would be confused with all the different types of characters, but I could'nt put it down and finished it in 3 days. I loved this book. I loved the characters Mac and Barrons, the story line. I will be purchasing the rest of the series.

suprised at how much i enjoyed the book. getting ready to download the rest of the series!!

Reviews

The plot for this story line was cute once you figure it out in the end but it's a long boring read to get there. This story needed much work and editing long before being published. How did it happen? If the author actually got money for this, I'm going to try my hand at it, it couldn't be worse!

I read this book in a day, was just plain fun! great summer relaxing reading.

This is truly one of if not the best book I have read as far as romance novels go. I am a tough critic when it comes to romance novels and this was packed full of all the necessities. Romance, mystery, thriller, murder, you name you got it! I am desperate to find more books from this author! Congrads on keeping me up all night!

This book was an okay read. It's one that I'd have rather checked out from the library than purchased. The book has a lot of typos in it (ie. misspelled words, words left out of a sentence, ect.) I was a bit disappointed at first. Reading the description the book sounded like it was going to be very promising. I couldn't wait to receive the book and get started reading! The book is a very easy read. I kept hoping for it to pick up so I actually read the entire book in a day. It had some great moments, but the book didn't draw you into the story. I didn't feel the characters pain or happiness. I felt like I was reading a story. At first the descriptions start out well. You can visualize what they're wearing and how things looked. But by the 4th chapter, the descriptions of people, places and everything stops. I also felt like I was left hanging. There was a hint in the book that the aunt "knew" the truth, but then it never said anything more about it. It also mentions how she needs to get 2 people (I won't go into much detail so not to give the story away) to fall in love, but it never tells you if they did or not. I'd suggest checking this book out from the library or going to a B & N store and grabbing a cappuccino and reading it there at the store instead of purchasing this book. It is an ok read, I just wouldn't suggest buying it.

Alexandra "Alex" Tibideaux receives a message that her grandmother: "I need you." Unable to get a hold of Grams, Alex rushes from California to New Orleans. Grams is fine; she only wants to attend the re-opening of the Dalton Plantation with her granddaughter. Alex agrees-since Grams is her only living relative and is 93 years old. Later that evening, Grams shows Alex a picture of Trey Dalton and how he fell in love with a woman in their family; one who had the same name as Alex... and had disappeared and was never found. While at the plantation, Alex sees a painting of herself wearing period clothing. Curiosity causes her to touch the portrait... which transports her back to 1878. She awakens in the same house... but Trey Dalton, his aunt, and their servants are very much alive. Trey Dalton doesn't have time for a woman who mysteriously shows up at his plantation; talking nonsense about how she's from the future. And he doesn't need his Aunt Rose to interfere by going around telling everyone that Trey and Alex are getting married. Both Trey and Alex have to go along with the idea to keep people from gossiping. But there's someone who wants to ruin Trey and will stop at nothing to do so. Trey believes he knows who is responsible... or does he? Only after a series of potentially disastrous events does he learn the truth. Stephanie's Review: Other reviews talk about how Bradley weaved "an engrossing tale of time travel, romance, and suspense." The time travel was typical: Woman from the present goes back in time where she has to adjust to her new life while wondering if she'll ever return to the present. The romance was unbelievable - and not in a good way: Trey and Alex spent more time bickering and arguing than anything else. I'm still wondering how the two fell in love. It just "happened." The suspense was predictable: It's easy to tell who did what when. Bradley also has a habit of not going deep enough into the story. There are lots of instances where things are just glossed over. Two examples: (1) Alex arrived in 1878, and basically just accepted everything that happened to her - except when she wanted to return to Trey. (2) Alex kept a journal of her time spent in 1878. When she returns to 1997, Grams gives her the journal. She starts reading... only to find a new entry on the last page from Trey. This could've been a very emotional moment, but Trey's entry was cut short. There's also a lot of typos in this book. I understand that no book is edited perfectly, but the typos here are beyond the norm. After awhile, they started sticking out like a sore thumb. Usually, with traditional publishers, the fingers can be pointed to the copyeditors. But it's questionable with e-publishers. I know of some e-publishers who do more editing beyond what an author does. And then there's some e-publishers who expect their authors to do all of the editing. I'm not sure where Hard Shell lies as this is my first Hard Shell read.

Reviews

I have read and loved all of MaryJanice Davidson's novels and novellas and decided to give her Young Adult offering a whirl. This is a wonderful novel with a great deal of humor and some poignancy to boot. Andrea Grouper is a typical teenage girl going through growing pains while convincing her paranoid driving coach that she has been driving since she was eight years old and keeping her eye on her troubled friend Meredith. When she convinces Meredith to join her in visiting her old friend Brenda, she does not know how she would interact with her. But it turns out that not only is Meredith adored by Brenda and a new crop of male friends, she also becomes part of a game in which they pretend to be superheroes and villains. They also have some adventures with the male friends. Andrea accepts to become George's girlfriend while she drools for Kyle, the one Brenda has set her eyes on. Meredith hooks up with Terry, who is as eccentric as she is at times. However, how will the group cope with Meredith's suicidal episodes and the extreme side effects from her medications? How will they cope with the knowledge that she'd had a nervous breakdown a few months before? Will Andrea be able to break free from George and tell Kyle how she feels about him? And are their imaginary characters a way to escape from their sometimes troubled realities? This is one of the best Davidson stories I have read. She has a wonderful sense of humor, as all of her faithful readers are well aware, but she also adds some dark situations and poignant scenes in this offering. Meredith saddened me at times. She goes through some rather painful things brought on by her depression. She has a wonderful friend in Andrea. Speaking of whom, Andrea is the signature Davidson heroine in that she is a smart mouth and is fiercely independent. She likes the idea of having a randy boyfriend who worships her even though she is not that into him. Those scenes made me laugh. Terry is also hilarious. He is a hopeless flirt who is not afraid to voice his opinion on everything. Kyle is the quieter one of the bunch, but he also turns out to be as three-dimensional as the other characters. As said earlier, this is one of Davidson's best stories. This also happens to be one of her first writing efforts. She started out writing Young Adult books and then branched out into writing romance and fantasy (or a combination of both genres). But she will release another YA book later this year. Adventures of the Teen Furies is a true testament of just how talented and versatile Ms. Davidson is. She is now one of the most popular romance/paranormal authors out there and for good reason. I recommend this YA novel most highly.

I am a 55 year old mother of two and I loved this book. It is teenagers all the way. It is exciting, well written, fast moving and a joy to read.

This book brought back both good and bad memories from my teenage years, but isn't that what a good book is supposed to do? I really enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone who has teenage children.

OK, I grew up with the author, so it was a given that I'd buy this book. I logged on and had it delivered to my house. Then I made her sign it and write something nice about me. Then I actually read it. It's a great read. Quick, funny and a little close to home.

This book really spoke to me. It reminded me so much of my teenage years and my friends.The boys, the fights, the confusion about who you are and what you want. It was very true to what teenagers think and feel. Ms Davidson, Have you truly gown up yourself? It seems like you are still thinking like a teenager. As a young adult my friends and I played "Dungeons and Dragons" (some of us still do). It was such an escape for us from real life. We could be strong when we really felt weak, outgoing and brave when we felt shy or be beautiful if we felt fat or ugly. This group of friends used their superhero alter-egos to work through some of their problems and insecuries, but once the game was over they still had to face each other and real life. The frienships you form in your teenage years may or may not last through to adulthood, but they help define your personality in some vital years. If being a teenager is about anything it is about discovering who you are and being comfortable with yourself. As great a book as this is for the young adult age bracket I think it is also an insightful peice of literature for a parent to read. In case you have forgotten what it was like to be confused about everything and torn between being an adult and a kid, take a refresher course in TEENAGER 101 and pick up this book. I think parents should take a look at what's between the lines here. It may just help you communicate with your child in a whole new way. Not to throw off the young adults here though. It is a hilarious and really entertaing book. Good job Mary Janice. It helped me remember what it was like to be a teenager with all the good, the bad and the ugly.

Reviews

This book had all the potential to be really good and I had high hopes for it. The problem for me was that the heroine had a secret that she kept from her husband- the secret caused huge damage and just about ended her marriage. Ironically, telling him would have been so simple. It made NO sense to keep the stupid secret and let it ruin your life. This book wore me out. Through the entire book I'm shouting inwardly- JUST TELL HIM! There was also some hoaky amnesia thing in the beginning that was just silly. In a nutshell I just foundit unrealistic and frustrating:(