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Join HOLLOW TOURS for Stained By: Ella James! Feb19-25th!

Incarnate

Incarnate On Sale Jan 31, 2012 By Jodi Meadows Join us at HOLLOW TOURS for this Book Tour! Running Jan 1-29th with a Giveaway on the 30th!

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Join HOLLOW READERS March 1st as we post a Massive Review and giveaway for this amazing upcoming book by Jessica Shirvington

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Saturday, July 30, 2011

The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer Review

                      

 The Canary List: A Novel

    by
Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you?
 
She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
 
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.
 
But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.

Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.
Paperback: 304 pages
Published: June 21st 2011 by WaterBrook Press

ISBN: 0307446468 (ISBN13: 9780307446466)
primary language: English
My Review:

I don't normally read Christian novels but the cover and the synopsis of this book caught my attention. I'm glad I picked this book to read. I enjoyed the plot and the twists and turns it took along the way. I found the characters easy to relate to and understand. I truly felt for Crockett throughout the story due to his overwhelming loss in his life. I could feel his emotions come through in the way the story was written and loved his way of thinking things through. 

There was plenty of mystery and suspense throughout and I found myself wondering what could possibly happen next. I was always surprised when something happened that I never even thought of. The thought of witchcraft and demons gives you a lot to think about and maybe even have you questioning if they do really exist. You don't have to be a Christian to read this book and understand what is going on. A lot of the religious aspect is explained along the way because the main character Crockett is a non believer. In no way is this book trying to convert anyone either.
There were several spots in the story where items were described as having words in Latin or something was being said in Latin. I still have no idea what they meant because it was never said in the book. I feel that I need to look it up because maybe some things would make more since to me. I was also left at the end of the book wanting more. I have no idea where the characters ended up. The ending was left totally open with no true closure. I guess for now I will have to imagine what happened and make it my own happy ending. 

All in all I would say this was an engaging read and I would recommend it to others. I give it a 3 out of 5.


You can purchase this book through Amazon  or Barnes and Noble

Learn more about the author Sigmund Brouwer Here


Alison

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. The review is my true opinion and I was not compensated in any way.


Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Best Laid Plans Review








The Best Laid Plans
By Sarah Mayberry

About the book:

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Update

This is Samantha and I have received a few books. I have read a few also and working on writing the reviews. With three kids to take care of my time slides away from me and I apologize.
I do want to share that Jennifer Echols the author of Love Story has sent me a copy of her book personalized and autographed as well as quite a few others. The author of Friendship Bread sent me a copy as well, MoonSpell from Samantha Young, and quite a few others. So, you might be swamped with reviews all at once lol. But, just wanted to update that I am working on them and hopefully soon I will have something for you. The battery cable on my laptop went out so I have to pay 60.00 for a new one which sucks but you will have some reviews by me soon:)

xoxoxo,
Samantha

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Guest Post: The Iron King Review

Book Review by: Anouk Wiertz






The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Author's website: http://www.juliekagawa.com/
Genre: YA fantasy
Series: yes, the Iron Fey
Other books: two sequels, fourth book in the series coming out in september 2011, two novellas

Friday, July 22, 2011

Surviving Your Serengeti Review

I recently received a free review copy of Surviving Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business and Life by Stefan Swanepoel.

This is a modern parable or fictionalized story with applications for business and life. It is the story of Sean and Ashley on an African safari and the lessons they learn from the animals they observe.

The 1.5 million wildebeest of the African Serengeti rely on stubborn endurance and support from the herd to survive; the alligator is opportunistic; the cheetah ruthlessly effective; the giraffe embodies grace, the lion a master strategist, the mongoose is a risk-taker, the elephant is an excellent communicator.

Take a short quiz here to discover which animal you are most like. (I found out that I am most like the giraffe.)


You can click here to enter your email address and read the first 2 chapters for FREE.

Order Surviving Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business and Life here or request it at your local library.

***I received a free review copy from Tommy Nelson and Book Sneeze.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine

Paperback, 248 pages
Published October 3rd 2006 by NAL Jam

ISBN
0451219945 (ISBN13: 9780451219947)
primary language
English
original title
Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1)
setting
United States



Synopses:  Claire Danvers is a genus. She is a college freshman and she is 16. She was accepted to places like MIT but her parents thought she was too young to go that far from home. So they sent her to TPU in Morganville, Texas just a few hours from them. They had no way of knowing this quiet little town was not all it seemed to be. At the beginning we find Claire is having trouble with someone in her dorm. She makes the snappy decision to leave the dorm and live off campus. She stumbles upon The Glass house where she meets three friends. Michael Glass, Handsome, sweet musician, Shane Collins, Brooding trouble finder and Eve Rossier, A beautiful goth with a sassy mouth and kind heart. As Claire discovered just what is going on in Morganville she begins to rely more and more on her new friends to make it through life in this small town full of secrets.


My Thoughts: I love YA books and I love a book series. I was excited about this book. (Now that I have read book 1-8 I will try to leave my impressions of the characters in later books out of this one.)  This was a quick read and I really enjoyed the characters. I instantly loved Eve. Her Sass, her look, her smart mouth. The main character was Claire and right at the start I asked what else can happen to this poor child. As I said this is Teen/YA and the main characters are young. 16-18 year olds but it was not too angsty or over the top. It was a great start to a series. There were many characters introduced in this one that I could not wait to find more about. (Oliver, Amelie, Sam) The author has some great characters in this series. 


I gave this one a 4 out of 5.


As I stated I have read 1-8, they were all pretty quick reads, so I will be posting the reviews of those over the course of the next few weeks. 


I was so lucky to be approached by Seventh Star Press to review a few of their books. If you remember back to my first review I reviewed a Stephen Zimmer book. His book is a Seventh Star Press book and they asked me to review a couple of their titles. I am currently reading Redheart by Jackie Gamber and should have that review up soon. I was also given the chance to review some titles from Kensington Press. This has been an amazing experience getting to read (which I love) and sharing my thoughts with everyone. Thanks for the opportunity to share this with you all.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Friendship Bread Review


Whether you're buying a stranger a cup of hot chocolate, sharing a tube of toothpaste or giving someone a starter bag of Friendship bread... sometimes all it takes to make a difference in your world is a simple act of kindness!

I recently received a copy of Friendship Bread: A Novelby Darian Gee. This book introduces you to a random mix of unrelated residents who live in the city of Avalon. Friendship Bread is the story of betrayal, loss, depression, anger, forgiveness, love, loyalty, and renewal of dreams. Life is hard and doesn't always make sense, but these strangers become friends and find that sometimes the smallest gestures lead to the strongest bonds.

The first few chapters introduce you to the characters. Then the author Darien Gee begins to weave it all together. This is a compelling story - one that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the way to the end.

I have never made a loaf of Friendship Bread - and don't know anyone in my neighborhood that does. Looks like I'll have to make my own starter batch and begin the chain here in my side of the world!

Read the first chapter here....

About the author:
Darien Gee is an author, wife, and mother of three. She’s a Libra Monkey, a chocoholic, and of late, an Amish Friendship Bread addict. A former California resident, Darien served on the board of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and ZYZZYVA, an award-winning literary journal.

Book Reviewers Wanted

Please note: Book Reviewers with Bee's Knees Reviews are unpaid.

We're looking to add more book reviewers to Bee's Knees Reviews!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Shadows of Wormwood Review






Shadows of Wormwood
By T.J. Koll

About the book:

Short, tough and painfully outspoken, Bitsy Cooper is far from your ordinary thirteen-year-old. While other girls her age worry about boys and clothes, “Itsy-Bitsy” spends her days skipping class and slugging it out with neighborhood bullies. Unfortunately, that tomboy-tenaciousness proves useless in dealing with her alcoholic father, her fanatically religious mother, or the anguish of losing her older brother on a foreign battlefield.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Untouchable Review






Untouchable
By Scott O'Connor

About the book:

It is the autumn of 1999. A year has passed since Lucy Darby's unexpected death, leaving her husband David and son Whitley to mend the gaping hole in their lives. David, a trauma-site cleanup technician, spends his nights expunging the violent remains of strangers, helping their families to move on, though he is unable to do the same. Whitley -- an 11 year-old social pariah known simply as The Kid -- hasn't spoken since his mother's death. Instead, he communicates through a growing collection of notebooks, living in a safer world of his own silent imagining.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Easter’s Lilly Review






About the book:

Easter’s Lilly by Judy Serrano

Friday, July 8, 2011

Old Man's War (Old Man's War #1) by John Scalzi



















Synopsis:

John Perry turns 75 and does two things, he visits his wife's grave and joins the army. Humanity has made in to interstellar travel but there are very few planets that are livable so everyone is fighting for the same planets to colonize.  Colonial Defense Force controls most everything and once humans reach retirement age they are allowed to enlist in the CDF. They want people with a life's worth of experience. You are taken off Earth and made fit to serve but you never allowed to return. John Perry takes the deal but has no idea what will unfold. 

My thoughts:

I was hesitant to read this at first. I love Sci Fi and Fantasy but I am very particular about sci fi. With Sci Fi I am already taking in to account that 99% of it is not likely to happen in my life time but sometimes I read sci fi that is to unbelievable if that makes any sense. But I picked this one up on a recommendation for someone and started reading it and was instantly trapped in this story. It was one of those books I hated to put it down. Before I even got chapter 4 I had ordered the other books in the series.

This book was funny, sad, suspenseful and so much more. I love the characters. The main character of this one John was an instant hit for me. Two pages in I knew I would love John. He was funny and smart and a really great guy. I love how he loves his wife. Makes Friends. And does what is right while doing what he is supposed to.

I highly recommend this book. Even if you are not a fan of Sci Fi give this one a shot it great sci fi and also just s great story. I loved this book.
 

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Corruptible Review


I recently received a free review copy of The Corruptible: A Ray Quinn Mysteryby Mark Mynher from Multnomah Publishing Company.

How much money would it take for you to betray the truth?

Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn never had glamorous thoughts of the life of a private investigator—but being cornered in a bathroom stall by the enraged philandering husband of a client? That’s something he could live without. Retired from homicide and living with a painful disability, Ray’s options are limited. Stick to the job, keep impetuous sidekick Crevis alive, and spend quiet evenings with trusted pal Jim Beam, that’s about the best he can hope for.

As a new client emerges, Ray finds himself in an impossibly large boardroom holding a check with enough zeros to finally lift him from his financial pit. The job seems easy enough: find Logan Ramsey, an ex-cop turned security officer who’s taken off with sensitive corporate information. But few things are easy in Ray’s world, regardless of the amount of zeros in the check.

In what should be an open-and-shut case, Ray stumbles across Logan Ramsey in a seedy motel room. Only Ray wasn’t the first to find him. Now Logan’s dead, the client’s information is nowhere to be found, and Ray’s employer is less than forthcoming with the details. Suddenly the line between the good guys and bad guys isn’t so clear. With a foot in both worlds and an illuminating look at an unhappy ending that could well be his own, which will Ray choose?

***I have to admit that I had a hard time getting through this book. Maybe it's because this is a sequel in a series. Maybe because it's just slow, or maybe because it just wasn't my particular cup of tea. I'm not sure. Many others who read this book have given it great reviews, so I will keep this book on my shelf and try it a second time and see if it grabs me more the next time around.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

It’s Murder, My Son Review












It’s Murder, My Son
By Lauren Carr

About the book:

In, It’s Murder, My Son, homicide Detective Mac Faraday finds himself at rock bottom, as his ex-wife is awarded their home and all liquid assets in the divorce decree; leaving him with nothing except their acquired debt.  He is broke and on the verge of filing bankruptcy, until he’s visited by his unknown birth mother’s lawyer.  Within minutes, his day and life are transformed as he stares at a piece of paper that has named him sole beneficiary of Robin Spencer’s estate, totaling around 270 million dollars including a home in the exclusive community of Deep Creek Lake.  With his good fortune comes clues to a murderer who is still haunting this gated community.  Can Mac help solve the murder that took place just three-months prior, or will his inheritance bring him closer to his own demise?

 

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