jbronderbookreviews

Samurai Zombie Hunter by Cristian YoungMiller

4 stars

(Excerpt from Amazon) The extinction of humanity approaches…

* This book is rated ‘WTF’ for its strong language, sexual situations and irreverent humor.

In this pre-apocalyptic world, zombies are starting to come out. These zombies are not the typical ones that everyone thinks of. Many of them look like normal people with a bad habit of trying to eat brains. There are certain areas that humans are not recommended to go because these have been designated zombie areas.

We meet Van, a handsome rich kid that spends his time trying to hook up with various girls that he meets in clubs. When he discovers a nasty message on a bathroom stall, he starts obsessing about it and starts calling old conquests just to have everything confirmed.

Then one night he wakes up to an old friend standing over his bed with a samurai sword. They start talking and decide to go into the zombie hunting business. But because of Van’s training with a sword and his background, they decide to market it as Samurai Zombie Hunters. And business is booming.

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Both of these are books that I promised a review on a long time ago. Sadly, now that I am getting around to posting the review, I can’t find The Unruly Princess Anywhere. You can find The Hobson’s Choice on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

An Unruly Princess by Damaris West

4 stars

(Excerpt from Any Subject Publishers) The Unruly Princess is one of six stories in this collection which is aimed at children aged 4 to 12. All these charming tales have been written by a qualified and experienced Montessori teacher and they have a strong bias towards the natural world.

There are six stories in this book. I will break them all down for a review.

The Unruly Princess – A young princess was a big trouble maker. She wanted nothing to do with being a little girl. When her cousin comes to live with her family she starts to see how her behavior is not so acceptable.

The Best of the FD Lambert Collection – A young boy is given a six drawer cabinet cupboard with glass doors on it. He decides that this is the perfect thing to set up a collection of the many things that he has collected over the years.

Lucy’s Treat – Lucy woke to a rainy day. Thinking that they day has been ruined; she decides to stomp around in a fowl mood all day. When a special cabinet is made for her by her mom, things start looking up.

The Gift – Rebecca has lost something very valuable to her. Her parents didn’t share her view of the object. This sends Rebecca into running away and a depressed mood. Is there anything that can cheer her up?

The Talking Tree – A young boy stumbles upon a special tree that talks with him. But things are not easy for the tree as the winter starts to approach.

Alfred – Alfred is a frog that fancies a large mountain in gingham material. He speaks with the fairies to help him. But he doesn’t quite get the results he was hoping for with the fairy magic.

These are cute little stories that would be good to read to kids. They make you think about what is going on in them. It is full of things to make children think about with their behavior and such.

The one thing that bothered me about the stories is they seem to end before the end of the story. Or they are left open and not really finished. Beyond that, I thought he book was rather well done.

This is one that you will want to check out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The Hobson’s Choice and 15 Other Twist-In-The-Tale Short Stories by Clive West

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) This is a collection of stories whose endings you can try to predict, but you will almost always get it wrong. From the lottery-winner who inspires enmity in his neighbour, to the fraudulent fortune-teller discovering that she has a psychic gift after all, to the down-trodden schoolboy whose ‘daydreams’ reveal a crime which he then uses all his ingenuity to expose, a huge range of characters walk through these pages. Some of them are innocent; others, like the greedy property-developer, border on evil; but most of them are human with all the foibles and self-interest inherent in that condition.

To read these stories is to share in the author’s jaundiced view of the world – a world nonetheless illuminated by flashes of humour, pathos and warmth. You will be hugging yourself with glee at the ‘comeuppance’ doled out to some characters, and wishing you could dive into the story to give a timely warning to others. You will certainly be turning the pages rapidly to see what happens.

This is a collection of stories that is best described broken down.

A Good Education – Mornington, Moon, is attending school at Mercer’s School for Boys, a prestigious school. But he doesn’t fit in. Both when he hears a story about a young boy that drowned on the school, he can relate and has to speak up.

The Watcher – A man has found a great spot to watch the girls on a play ground. A couple of them have caught his attention, along with the guy whose apartment he is using to spy on the girls.

Moving Up – Jason finds a perfect suburb to buy all of the houses then turn them into big houses that people are demanding. The problem is the current owners don’t want to sell.

Hobson’s Choice – A family on vacation have a flat tire. Then their dog escapes. But the worse thing was the young daughter that followed the dog into the middle of freeway traffic. What are the options to rescue her?

Dear John – An aspiring writer is having trouble with a scene in her current book. She decides to enact it with her husband. But things don’t go as planned.

Every One a Winner – Eric was late to catch the bus to work. While wasting time for the next bus he purchases a couple lottery tickets. Forgetting about them he gets more than he asked for when they win the lottery.

Lucky Charm – Robert 3 is a clone. It is now the 24^th century on Earth and people are not allowed to have kids or to live past the age of 50. But Robert 3 doesn’t want to die and comes up with a plan to keep alive.

The Racing Line – A famous race car driver is about to start a race when one of his pit crew start seeing strange people. Not thinking much of it the driver starts the race until he sees one of the people himself.

The Bench – A bench in the middle of a park has many visitors a day. It’s interesting how they all link up one way or another.

A Day at the Beach – A young couple spend time on the beach with their twin son and daughter. But things are not going to be as wonderful of a visit for some people.

The Return of the Centaurus – It has been many years since a spaceship was sent through a wormhole. But now that it is back, something is wrong with it. The computer is going to have to be restarted to figure out what happened to the crew.

Lost – Billy was playing an unsupervised game of hide and seek when he becomes lost in the woods.

An Enduring Smile – Margaret is an 82 year old widow. She spends her time in the beautiful garden by her house. It always brings a smile to her face to think about all the good things that have happened in that garden.

No Walk in the Park – A young lady is watching two kids for rich parents. But when an outing gets rained out, things go from bad to worse.

Seeing is Believing – Madame Voirtout is a fortune teller in the local fair. She has a hard customer that has other plans for her than just a simple reading.

Last Orders – Bo is 18 years old and a victim of his mother’s boyfriends. The latest one, Steve, has flat out told him it’s time to get a job and get out of the house. It’s strange when Steve helps Bo get a job in a bar, but it’s not going be as god of job as Bo thinks.

This is a nice little collection of short stories. My favorite is The Return of Centaurus. Creepy!!! I loved all of the little twists. You never knew what was going to happen next. This is a great little thriller story. Don’t miss reading this one.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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The Check Your Luck Agency by Cara d’Bastian

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Not believing in something doesn’t make it go away

That is, until she joins charming, ex-model Shariff Kadir to host a series of ghost-hunting television programs, and finds that a world she doesn’t want to believe in has just been -waiting- for her to turn up.

Ursula works for the Check Your Luck Agency, a company that is by Malaysia that specializes in bad luck. Ursula has been working for six months and usually finds physical reasons for the bad luck the clients are experiencing, like a contractor making a widow feel threatened by a spirit but is actually just trying to scare the widow off to buy up her house and land.

Then the agency is asked to star in a new reality television show where they hunt spirits causing peoples bad luck. Ursula has a hard time coming to terms with this. First she gets a crush on her very hot host, a boss that is insisting that she does the show no matter how hard she protests, and secrets of her own that she doesn’t want to face.

I really liked this book. Ursula has a background that is just demanding that she open up and start using it. The location was really interesting. It was a new perspective that I have never had. There is a completely new set of manors, social skills, and procedures to do things, like simply crossing a busy street. It was really interesting how those beliefs play out in the book.

I will admit that I was a little lost at the sudden ending. It just seems to draw up to a giant conclusion and the book is over before you realize what just happened. I can see this could be the first book in the series, which I really would like to read, but it didn’t make this book’s ending flow. Mind you, that is not going to stop be from reading Return of Hantu.

Beyond that, this was a great book. I think that everyone will like to read this. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I received this book for free from the Bookrooster Review program in exchange for an honest review.

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Willful Impropriety Edited by Ekaterina Sedia

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) The Season has finally arrived, filled with the magnificent balls, scandalous gossip, and clandestine romances that every lord and lady in good society has come to expect. But far within the walls of lavish estates and in the dark corners of the city lies a world that the aristocracy dares not touch, with rules and risks that glamour cannot overpower. Yet true love has no boundaries, and heiresses and street thieves alike must use their savvy and strength to create new beginnings and happily-ever-afters. Sometimes luck is enough, but every once in a while, a touch of magic may be needed.

Deliciously alluring, these thirteen historical romances from a talented array of YA authors will make even the most cynical heart swoon.

Simply put, this is an anthology of 13 historical stories that include everything from society, scandal, and romance such as the following.

“At Will” by Leanna Renee Hieber – This story is about a young lady, Portia, that has been raised in theater. Because of her skill acting in both male and female roles she has become a prized character that is brought into society as a companion of one of societies more known males, Mr. Rothschild. It’s where she fits into the role that is the issue.

“The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain” by Stephanie Burgis – Agatha has taken to running her father’s house while he engrosses himself in his studies. But her aunt doesn’t see this as proper training for a young lady and steps in to make Agatha a proper lady.

“Nussbaum’s Golden Fortune” by M. K. Hobson – Nussbaum is a gentleman with bad luck. He owes some powerful people a lot of money. He goes to his old friend Oesterlische for help selling a magical map. But things go wrong when the map and Oesterlische’s fiancé are held for ransom.

These historical based stories are about things that were not as acceptable then as they are now and how people stepped out of the normal rules to follow their hearts. I really liked the concept of the stories. My personal favorite was The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain. She has spunk and even though she is forced into following societies rules, she rises above them at the end.

I will be honest, this is one book that I did have a hard time sticking with. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the book was horrible, it was quiet good. It’s just one that I have been looking at for several months and just can’t finish. Please don’t let this statement ruin your opinion of the book.

If you like historical stories and those where people find ways to rise above their lot in life, then you will enjoy this book.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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To prove how far behind I am in my reviews, I got this ages ago and the title has since changed. I’m still trying to get through my huge list of review books. I’m not taking any new reviews in the hopes that I can catch up with the ones I have.  It’s sad to look at my list and see books I have had for over a year or more. Yes, I know I suck.

So, to everyone waiting on a review, please be patient, I’m still working on them. They may be ridiculously late but I’m getting there.

Chasing Spirits – The Memoirs of Reginald Weldon by Glynn James

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) There is an old man sitting in a bed on Angel ward, telling stories. He says he has to tell someone, because he is dying. He says he doesn’t care if you believe the tales are true or not, because he is not sure that half of them ever happened at all.

He claims a lot of things…

Reginald Weldon is 102 an in the Angel ward in a section of the hospital where people go to die. He has decided to start recording the evens in his life. It starts with him loosing his parents at an early age and being bounced around between different relatives. Because Reginald was such an angry child, he didn’t stay long at each relative. But he found a home which doesn’t last long when he is a witness to the murder of his uncle. The murderers capture him and try to sell him into the slave trade in early 1900’s England.

Reginald manages to escape and live off the street for a while. He then gets caught stealing and sent to prison. But since it is during World War I, he is selected to be shipped off to the war even though he is only 15. At war he experienced a paranormal event, is wounded, and then gets send to help out in a hospital area until another odd event takes place. While there, Reginald makes a friend and they return to England to start up a cigar store and bar. But Reginald and his friend find women that catch their attention and slowly start to drift apart. But when Regional’s wife disappears, things go down the pot.

I really liked this story. I enjoyed how Reginald managed to survive when everything was always stacked against him. Even when he is shipped away to the war, he managed to squeak by. Then he meets his wife and everything revolves around her. The thing that bothered me is that the story had such great flow. Then it gets to his wife and starts stuttering until it ends with a feeling of incompleteness. Now, there could be another story linked to this. If that is the case, I feel that would be a great way to end the story. If not, then it leaves everything hanging in midair and feeling uncompleted.

Beyond that, this was a really good story. I recommend it to anyone. You have the older guy recounting his life but odd paranormal occurrences that keep you on your toes. I don’t this you will be disappointed in this story.

I received this book for free from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

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Induction (Children of Creation – 2) by JD Watts

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Daniella Rossi has had a tough year. She’d always felt she was different from those around her, and within a matter of months, she discovered her life and that all she believed was true was nothing more than a farce. As a child of three different races of creation, Dani truly fits in with none.

Forced to move on with the advent of spring, they search for answers while Dani completes her induction into the world of the unseen. She learns many things about love, life, and herself, as well as the true depth and nature of the strength within her along the way.

Dani is trying to recover from her last battle and learning to use her nephillim abilities. She is also getting more comfortable with her relationship with Nate. It’s hard to get close to Nate since he has never been in love before, but it’s harder when she can sense everything he feels when they are together.

Dani receives strange dreams from a young boy that needs her help. He is in a colony and is about to be shipped of to Induction, the nephillim brainwashing camp. Then the nephillim start actively hunting Dani down, they go on the run to keep Dani safe. Dani has to step up practice to save the boy but also to try and keep her safe from being discovered.

I liked this story. I didn’t get a chance to read the first book so I admit that I was a little behind and never really got caught up. This was a good story. I loved the nephillim in it. I admit that although there was the planning and action of saving the young boy but it was mainly about Dani and Nate’s relationship. It was great the build up but I felt it took away from saving the kids. It was almost if that was thrown in to add purpose to the story.

In the end, this was a good story. I am going to get the first book, Convergence, and read that. I’m sure that will fill in the gaps that just never got explained. I’m also willing to purchase the third book, Maelstrom. I do feel that this is a good story and that it is one worth getting.

I received this book for free from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

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Idiotville by Robert Kral

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) The shot on the left is from the cover.

When the Mayor needs some trees infected with the Latvian butt-faced beetle removed from the grounds, he goes against his better judgment and hires his brother-in-law Charlie, a beer drinking deadbeat, to take them down. It shouldn’t be too hard, since the horticulturalist marked them all with a yellow “x”. Of course, the town’s “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” program to support the troops that coincides with the tree job could cause problems if you’re dealing with a complete idiot. And so begins the escapades of the inhabitants of Idiotville.

This is a collection of stories about the people in Idiotville. My favorite story is the first one, where the trees in the town have been infested so the mayor gets his brother-in-law to cut the trees that are marked down. Sadly the town is celebrating so all the trees have ribbons on them.

The rest of the stories range from how a dog is smarter than her detective, increasing the profits of a factory by hiring more specialists and firing the workers, and a Valentine’s Day gift gone wrong. Some of the people are linked, but all of the stories are great examples of people not being able to think.

The only thing I had a little trouble with is some of the stories went into left field. The story of the father that hated cheerleaders was one of those that I though parts were humorous but the end point was lost.

All in all this was a funny book. It is a great reflection of what happens in the world every day. This is one book that I think everyone will like. Wait for the preacher with turrets performing a wedding ceremony.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Impeccable Petunia Part 1: Claws, Paws, Feathers, and Jaws by Katie Christine

4 Stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Follow Petunia, the backyard hen, through a hazardous world as she discovers hidden talents, a mischievous cat named Macy and encounters all things feathered and furious.

Petunia is not like other chickens. She loves nature and all the colors she finds. She has a little garden in the chicken yard and tries to stay out of the way of the other chickens. This book follows her adventures with the other chickens, the cat Macy, and their new owner whom she starts calling Silkie.

The biggest trouble that Petunia finds herself in is with the other chickens. The leader and her daughter are insistent that Petunia should gossip, chase bugs, and roost just like everyone else. But that is so hard when Silkie is always bringing Petunia into the house to help with the remodel.

The only thing that I had a little bit of a struggle with is some chapters ended in the middle of a conflict. Off the top of my head I can think of a scene where Petunia is confronted by the leader and going to get into an argument about where she has been and before Petunia can reply, the chapter ends.

Beyond that, I really liked this story. It’s a great children’s story. I think this would be a great way to introduce kids to reading. I can’t wait to find out what trouble Petunia gets herself into next.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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Loss by Glen Krisch

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) After Angie Chandler’s husband dies in a car crash in which she was driving, her life comes undone. Though her soul mate is gone, her memories of Paul linger as she tries to recover at their secluded wooded estate. Ostracized from Paul’s family–the only family she has really known–Angie’s life spirals down a dark path of alcohol and pills. In the blur of constant self-medication, Angie is in no position to know what is happening to her.
Is Paul haunting her?
Has she gone mad?
Or is there another possibility, something far worse?

Angie Chandler is married to Paul, one of a family of rich people. At a Christmas party with the family, Paul announces that they are going to adopt a child since they couldn’t have one. Embarrassed and put out, Angie leave the party early with Paul, but on the way home they are involved in a car accident in which Paul dies.

Angie has a hard time coping with the death. It’s worse when she starts seeing Paul. Because of the alcohol and pain pills, she has a hard time getting through the visions. Then she ends up pregnant. What is happening to her?

I liked this story. I really hated Paul’s mother. Angie can’t get over Paul’s death and I felt for the poor woman. The ending was a good twist, it creeped me out. This is a good, quick story that those that like thrillers won’t want to miss.

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I know I have been super behind in my reviews but I just found a couple reviews that I had typed up and forgot to post. ARGH!! I swear I can’t win. One of these days I hope to get everything flowing. So, without further ado, here is a very late review of AJ Scudiere’s God’s Eye.

God’s Eye by AJ Scudiere

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Katharine Geryon is living the life her family name has dictated, and why not? After all, it has given her a good job in the family company and a fine life with all the things she should want. But all that changes as increasingly disturbing events begin to occur: soot stains on the carpet, glimpses of strange black animals, and cryptic messages written on her bathroom mirror. Baffled and afraid, Katharine begins to doubt her own sanity. At the same time, two charismatic men enter her life: Allistair, her new assistant at work, and Zachary, a well-heeled neighbor who just moved into her building. Katharine soon finds each of them inextricably entangled in her affairs. As her life becomes stranger and her dreams more terrifying, she realizes neither man is what he seems and that she’s caught in something far beyond her own comprehension. For the first time, she must reach beyond her own boundaries.

Katharine comes from upper society, but her life is not as easy as most think. She is the daughter of a rich investor that just goes through the hoops of work to please her dad without ever deciding for herself what she would like. Then strange animals and soot stains appear in her perfect apartment. Things get stranger when a new co-worker that she is training starts hitting on her and her new neighbor makes her feel wanton.

What she doesn’t know is that one is an angel and another is a demon trying to make her decide what path to follow. This is one’s last chance, if he fails, he will be finished. The other expects this to be an easy turn and is all ready counting on his advancement. Will Katharine choose the right one?

I liked this book. I will admit that the first part was a little slow with the same thing getting a bit redundant. But, after Katharine starts waking up and taking a good look at her life, she starts to realize that there is a lot more going on in her perfect world than what she originally thought. I loved both Allistair and Zachary. You don’t find out which is the angel until the end and it was perfect.

Beside the first part of the book being redundant, this was a really great book. I honestly can’t wait to read more books from AJ Scudiere. This is one author that you don’t want to miss.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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