{Review} THE TUMBLE INN by William Loizeaux

ISBN #: 978-0815610427

Page Count: 176

Copyright: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Tired of their high school teaching jobs and discouraged by their failed attempts at conceiving a child, Mark and Fran Finley decide they need a change in their lives. Abruptly, they leave their friends and family in suburban New Jersey to begin anew as innkeepers on a secluded lake in the Adirondack Mountains. There they muddle through their first season at the inn, serving barely edible dinners to guests, stranding themselves in chest-deep snowdrifts, and somehow, miraculously, amid swarms of ravenous black flies, conceiving a child, a girl they name Nat. Years later, when Mark and Fran are nearing middle age and Nat is a troubled teenager, Mark's life is ripped apart, forever changed, and he must choose between returning to his old home in New Jersey or trying to rebuild what is left of his life and family in the place of his greatest joy and deepest sorrow.

The Tumble Inn is a moving drama about home and about the fragility and resilience of love.

Mandy's Review:

How many of us at one point in our lives or another have wished to just drop everything and start over somewhere new? Even today, I think some of us feel this way. The majority of us, being the responsible masochistic humans we are, choose to stay in the life we've laid out for ourselves and see where it'll take us. Not Mark and Fran. As soon as Fran saw an opportunity for a life change, she grabbed onto it and wouldn't let go one iota. So, Mark and Fran's life change was really Fran's doing and Mark just went along with it because he felt like there would be no changing her mind.

Their time at the Tumble Inn is somewhat monotonous and boring ... until they have a child. Then it becomes interesting for a short while until returning right back to the standard routine they've worked year after year. One unexpected event, though, changed everything for Mark, Fran, and Nat. Where they go from there is somewhat iffy and undetermined for a long while. Eventually, though, life goes on and difficult decisions must be made.

The overall feel of this book was oppressive. It was told in a narrative from Mark's POV and in a flashback form. Right from the start, you know something's not quite right but you don't know what that is until about three-quarters of the book is over. Personally, I was ready for the novel to be over. I don't mind the relaying of a personal tragedy, but I am not a fan of the entire novel feeling sad. It made me not want to read it, if I were brutally honest, and I almost put it down permanently several times.


*An ecopy of this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} CITY OF DARK MAGIC by Magnus Flyte

ASIN #: B008EXNMSM

File Size: 782 KB

Page Count: 464

Copyright: November 27, 2012

Publisher: Penguin Books

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.

Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.

And the story continues in City of Lost Dreams, the mesmerizing sequel, which finds Sarah in the heart of Vienna, embroiled in a new web of mystical secrets and treacherous lies.

Mandy's Review:

Reading the summary you would think all of these individual elements wouldn't work together. I mean, Beethoven, a time-warping drug, and a suicide (murder?) ... it does seem a little far-fetched to me. However, after I finished the book, I realized that all of the individual elements intermingled well together.

Sarah has a keen set of senses and she trusts her nose to guide her in different situations. It even helped her to recognize danger when she would've otherwise been oblivious. She also seems to have an overactive libido, which does get her in trouble a time or two ... once with the Prince.

Speaking of the Prince, he seems an odd duck at times. One minute I'd trust him with my life and the next I'm suspicious of his behavior. Perhaps this is only because others have lied about him or what he's done. What if he did say or do what others have indicated? Although I know how the book ends, I still have my eye on him.

I think Nico/Jepp, a 400-year old dwarf, was my favorite character. Despite his stature, the man knows how to handle himself and get things accomplished. He does like to rifle through others' belongings and steal things on occasion, but don't we all? He has a wicked sense of humor that I appreciate. I can't wait to see what situations he's become involved with in the next book.

This book has a sense of fantasy to it as well as the more prevalent mystery of what really happened to Sherbatsky. It was an intriguing read that I think many of you would enjoy.


*An ecopy was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} UNLEASH THE CURSE by Alexa Egan

ASIN #: B00A286OEQ

File Size: 2206 KB

Page Count: 102

Copyright: September 2, 2013

Publisher: Pocket Star

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Neither actress Sarah Hayes nor London’s most eligible bachelor Sebastian Commin, Earl of Deane, has ever forgotten their one and only scandalous night of white hot passion or the differences in their social positions that make a future together impossible. So when they discover that they’ll be fellow guests at a house party, they vow to keep each other at arm’s length. A vow broken when they find themselves caught up in a mystery involving a brutal attack on an Imnada shape-shifter and an unexplained entity known as the Naxos.

Each clue they uncover reveals more about the ancient Imnada enemy—monstrous soul-feeders with the power to devour worlds. Each fiery encounter between the aristocrat and the entertainer underscores the raw desire that crackles the very air between them until Sebastian is convinced to make Sarah his wife, no matter the cost to his reputation. He just needs to convince Sarah, who cares for him too much to allow his future to be ruined by marrying a low-born actress. It’s only when the sinister Naxos strike again and Sebastian’s life is threatened that Sarah realizes she’s willing to risk a little scandal in order to save the world…and the man she loves.

Mandy's Review:

Although short, UNLEASH THE CURSE tells a complete story like you would read in a standard sized novel. The reader is initially introduced to these characters in Ms. Egan's first book, DEMON'S CURSE. And, while you can read UNLEASH THE CURSE by itself, I think you would need to read DEMON'S CURSE first to get a real sense of who they are and the complexities of their relationships with each other.

Sarah's low-bred social position prevents her from being with the one man she truly loves: Sebastian. Sebastian's problem is that he doesn't want to be tied down to just one woman. He has the same fears as many of us. That, after awhile, being with the same person over and over again, day in and day out, would become quite boring and repetitious. Upon seeing Sarah with another man, and possibly betrothed to him, causes Sebastian to realize his feelings for Sarah and his risk of being the society's talk of the town be damned.

Sarah's problem of trying to figure a way out of her current marriage proposal tends to solve itself when her suitor turns out to be an evil, life-sucking, entity. As they battle him to the death, Sarah and Sebastian realize that, if they make it through this, they'll allow nothing to come between them ever again.

So, like I said, a short read but a complete story. This novella serves as a segue between the first book, DEMON'S CURSE, and the second full-length novel, SHADOW'S CURSE. Oh, and just an FYI ... AWAKEN THE CURSE is a prequel to DEMON'S CURSE so you really want to read that one first. If you're a fan of the supernatural, werewolves, otherworldly entities, I think it would be worth your time.


*An ecopy of this novella was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

{NetGalley Review} DISENCHANTED & CO., PART 1: HER LADYSHIP'S CURSE by Lynn Viehl

ASIN #: B00AHE23SQ

File Size: 1087 KB

Page Count: 161

Copyright: August 12, 2013

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

The first half of Disenchanted & Co. In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, as the proprietor of Disenchanted & Co. she follows mysteries wherever they lead.

Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.

Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.

Mandy's Review:

I really enjoyed the steampunk setting. I wasn't aware, at first, that this was taking place in America because everyone (in my mind) seemed British or European. Once I got to the part of the story where it talks about Washington's surrender during the Revolutionary War, I realized that the book WAS in America but it never became the "United Sates" of America. An interesting twist.

Kit has struggled to get where she's at today and her struggles have made her a fiercely independent, opinionated young lady. Sometimes, though, her mouth can cause her more problems than what she needs. She believes it's her disbelief in magic, and a natural talent in deductive reasoning, that makes her a success at uncovering "magic" as fraudulent. What she doesn't at first realize is that magic is real but has no effect on her because of her genetics.

Every do-gooder has to have a nemesis and Kit's is Lucien Dredmore. The man is insufferable and is continuously trying to cause her problems ... or so she thinks. When Dredmore comes to her aid and rescue one night, her opinion of him becomes muddled.

Is it possible for the two to actually put aside their differences and work together on solving Lady Diana's curse? Well, we don't really know by the end of this book. The author stopped the story right as Kit and Lucien were joined together. The reader is left hanging at a point when you really, really want to know what's going to happen next.

Well played, Ms. Viehl. Well played. Now to get my hands on part deux.


*An ecopy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

{NetGalley Review} Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

ISBN #: 978-1476702919

Page Count: 336

Copyright: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Gallery Books

Book Description:

(Taken from Amazon)

A writer and his demons. A woman and her desires. A wife and her revenge ...

1845: New York City is a sprawling warren of gaslit streets and crowded avenues, bustling with new immigrants and old money, optimism and opportunity, poverty and crime. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is all the rage - the success of which a struggling poet like Frances Osgood can only dream. As a mother trying to support two young children after her husband's cruel betrayal, Frances jumps at the chance to meet the illustrious Mr. Poe at a small literary gathering, if only to help her fledgling career. Although not a great fan of Poe's writing, she is nonetheless overwhelmed by his magnetic presence - and the surprising revelation that he admires her work.

What follows is a flirtation, then a seduction, then an illicit affair ... and with each clandestine encounter, Frances finds herself falling slowly and inexorably under the spell of her mysterious, complicated lover. But when Edgar's frail wife Virginia insists on befriending Frances as well, the relationship becomes as dark and twisted as one of Poe's tales. And like those gothic heroines whose fates are forever sealed, Frances begins to fear that deceiving Mrs. Poe may be as impossible as cheating death itself ...

Mandy's Review:

I have read some of the Mrs. Poe reviews on Amazon and Goodreads written by other "readers" of this novel. I say "readers" because it is evident by their review that they either a) didn't really read the novel, b) didn't really understand the novel, or c) were so caught up in making sure it was historically correct that they forgot that this is a fiction novel based loosely on facts.

For example, one Goodreads reviewer stated that she was disappointed because the title implied the novel would be about Mrs. Poe when it was really about Poe's mistress, Franny. If the reviewer would have read the novel, she would have seen within the first chapter or two that "Mrs. Poe" was a title suggested by an editor of a newspaper to Franny. Here's the basis of that suggestion: Franny is trying to get some of her poetry published. Her poetry, however, is flowery and sweet. The public is thirsty for things that will terrify them. So, to Franny, the editor suggests that she write something more macabre, perhaps something similar to Edgar Poe whose "The Raven" has been widely accepted ... a sort of "Mrs. Poe," if you will. Later on in this novel the reader sees that the actual Mrs. Poe does play a (somewhat) major role. Actually, it's her presence, felt by Franny's guilty conscience, that is her most prominent role. So to say the title is misleading is false.

An Amazon reviewer stated there was a lot of name dropping in the novel. Instead of just looking at the people's names who were "dropped" into the story, consider this: perhaps the author was giving the readers some references as to the time frame of our nation. I don't know about you, but when I see a year (i.e. 1847) I don't automatically think, "Oh, that was right around the time Mr. Graham invented the Graham cracker." To have those references written into the story gives me a frame of mind when reading the novel. It was a time of burgeoning inventions, abilities, and writers that we still use and read today. Back then, it wasn't name dropping to say who was at what event, unless they were already well established. The people of that day had no idea how infamous Mr. Graham, Mr. Morse, or the author of a well-beloved Christmas poem would become. It was just another day to them.

And then we have another reviewer who claimed Fran was wishy-washy in how she felt concerning her relationship to Poe. Fran was never wishy-washy. She never WANTED to end her relationship with Poe, but she did try a few times to leave him alone based on several reasons: her children, Poe's legal wife, and her safety as well as the safety of her friend's and children. In spite of all those obstacles, she continuously loved Poe. She ached for him. She longed for him. With a love that strong, a person would be hard-pressed to be wishy-washy in their affections. However, a person does have the right to decide, no matter how difficult the decision, to try and leave their loved one alone for the betterment of all persons involved. It doesn't mean she loved him any less. It just means she was trying to be the responsible party and live with her undying love in private.

Overall, I did find this novel haunting, thrilling, and engaging. I fell in love with Poe and Franny's romance. I'm already a fan of Poe's work. To see another side to him, a softer side to his tormented soul, was refreshing and wonderful. There is no way I can give this novel any less than 5 stars. Way to go, Mrs. Cullen!


*An ecopy of the book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

{Review - Mature Audiences Only} Tell Me More by Janet Mullany

ISBN #: 978-0373605583

Page Count: 352

Copyright: July 19, 2011

Publisher: Spice

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Jo Hutchinson is obsessed with a man she's never seen - only heard. Her late-night calls from the office to the mysterious "Mr. D." grow increasingly intimate, until they finally become full-blown phone sex. Still, Jo doesn't dare meet him. Instead, she embarks on a series of sizzling sexual escapades with other guys, sharing every sweaty moment with Mr. D. afterward, a passion-by-proxy arrangement they both get off on. But even as she's charting brave new naughty worlds, Jo knows that it's all really for Mr. D. Every pleasure she experiences - eagerly, athletically, vocally - is to please him.

Immersed in fantasy, reality just slips away - even the chance at that elusive combination of love and lust. Her new tenant, Patrick, an Irish hunk in geek's clothing, is totally into her. And in her lucid moments, Jo knows she feels the same. Can she tear herself away from her kinky dreamworld long enough to appreciate what's right in front of her? Or has Mr. D. ruined her for real life?

** Read at your own risk ** Review is for mature audiences only **

Mandy's Review:

I knew when I decided to review this book that it would have some sex-scenes in it. What I wasn't prepared for was a plethora of sexual situations. I felt like I was watching an orgy of horny teenagers while they were on ecstasy. Every time I flipped the page I was reading about dicks and pussies and people coming. There were also some BDSM scenes that, while admittedly arousing, was a little shocking.

I always have enjoyed erotica as long as it had an actual plot to it, whether it be video or books. Despite all the blatant sexuality, I did enjoy the storyline to this novel. The electricity between Patrick and Jo was sizzling. I was a little weirded out that Patrick had his foreskin (probably because I've never seen a guy with one). I also get a little tired of reading erotica novels where the guy has a huge dick. Let's be real, ladies ... how many guys have you known in your lifetime that have been enormously hung? I can tell you, in my lifetime, I've experienced that only once and he was so enormous that I had to tell him to stop once we started having sex. I don't mind a little stretching, but I prefer not to be torn from my cootie-coo to my butthole.

Okay, I realize that last may have been too much information, but I was simply trying to make the point that enormously well-hung men just don't happen every day. Yet they seem to pop up in every erotica story you read. It just gets a little tiresome. Show me an erotica author that can take an average-hung guy screwing the mess out of some dame and I'll be turned on more by the reality of that than what appears to be the norm in these stories.

So, simply put: If you like the usual erotica stories with skinny girls and well-endowed men mixed with a little phone sex and BDSM, then this one's for you.


*An ecopy of this novel was acquired through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mandy Reviews: Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon

ISBN #: 978-1599559063

Page Count: 280

Copyright: November 1, 2011

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

After her father's disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn't long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself. What Ella finds there starts a quest that will change her life and the entire kingdom.

With a supernatural twist on this beloved fairytale, it's a must read you'll never forget.

Mandy's Review:

I received this book through NetGalley last year and am just now getting around to reading and reviewing it.

The first thing I noticed right away was the cover. I love it. The colors, the artwork, the styling ... it all has that fairy tale feel to it and makes you want to pick it up and read it.

And, yes, Cinder and Ella is loosely based on the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. Do not presume to think you'll recognize the classic while reading this story, though. The author has successfully written a book using Cinderella as a tool, but not retelling the same old story. This is a brand new story despite what few similarities there may be.

Cinder is the most responsible of the four sisters. She helps out mainly to keep the peace ... and she does it with a smile, if you can believe that. Eventually, though, Cinder leaves home to go work in the castle to earn money that is needed for the family during their father's absence. While there, the Prince woos Cinder. Is it true love? Is it meant-to-be? Or is it a devious evil scheme from a Prince who has only his selfish intentions at heart?

Ella is forgotten by her mother, especially after Cinder leaves for the palace. Ella brought this upon herself, I believe, since she rarely helped with her other sisters, ran errands or did chores around the house. Eventually, Ella, too, leaves Willow Top (their home) and travels to a neighboring town to start a new life. Unfortunately, though, due to Cinder's angst over not knowing where her sister is, a chivalrous knight initiates a search-and-rescue mission for the "lost" sister.

If you take an emotionally unstable mother, four sisters, a delusional father, a chivalrous knight, a dark Prince, magic trees, evil intentions and some romantic notions then you have the makings of this novel. There's also the classic good versus evil that is so prevelant in fairy tales ... I mean, that is what helps to make the fairy tale a fairy tale ... right? Overall, it's an interesting take an a well-known classic that will entertain you as you read it. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a fairy tale that isn't a fairy tale.