Captivating ~ Exceeding Expectations (Book Review)

Exceeding Expectations by Lisa April Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lisa April Smith

Sure, there’s the old adage about not judging a book by its cover and all that, but what about judging a book by its title? In the case of “Exceeding Expectations” by Lisa April Smith, readers certainly have just cause to judge it by the title because, after having had the privilege of reading it, I can personally attest that this book went well beyond exceeding my expectations.

Lisa April Smith, who also penned “Dangerous Lies”, has woven an intriguingly rich tapestry of delightful well-developed characters into a perfectly balanced plot bursting with riveting mystery, crimes of the petty and the horrible sort, suspenseful twists, and romantic tension complete with love scenes that sizzle and pop. If you’re looking for a suspenseful romantic mystery novel that you’ll find virtually impossible to put down, even for much-needed sleep, “Exceeding Expectations” contains all the ingredients you seek and more.

“Excelsior” Ever Upward! ~ Book Review

Please allow me to begin by saying what an honor & privilege it is to review “Excelsior” by George H. Sirois for the Indie Book Collective’s incredible Veteran’s Day event, Blog Tour de Troops. Would you, my wonderful readers, like to read “Excelsior” for free as well as have a copy sent to a soldier just for leaving a comment? What about nearly fifty free ebooks, giving you & our troops the chance to discover some new authors to love? Sound good? I thought you might like that. Details will follow my review of “Excelsior”.

On the surface, it may seem that “Excelsior” by George H. Sirois is simply going to be a fun read—one of those great little sci-fi gems to be enjoyed as an escape or distraction from everyday real life. While it is definitely one of those great little gems, with the usual good versus evil to save the world themes, I must forewarn you—the undercurrents of the basic overlying theme of “Excelsior” takes the reader far deeper than simple escapism. It is exciting, inspiring, intensely gripping, & even spiritual if one allows one’s self to feel it in the soul rather than simply reading it. The world of “Excelsior” grabs you & just doesn’t let go. I found myself glued to my Kindle, eagerly anticipating what might be just around the corner on that next page. The excitement & tension continue to ratchet up from beginning to end. To say this book had me breathless at times would be an understatement.

The Judgment of Horror or the Horror of Judgment

Yep! This about says it all! ~ Image sourced from Photobucket.com

Whilst perusing a guest blog on my friend LizzieBeth’s site, I found myself utterly aghast at what I was reading. That, in & of itself, came as a shock to me as I generally come away from her blogs in a happy-go-lucky ‘yay I got to know another cool author’ mood. To be clear, my shock had absolutely nothing to do with LizzieBeth’s writing or with the fact that the guest blogger, Fiona Dodwell, is a published horror fiction novelist. I was taken aback by some of the judgments Ms. Dodwell says some people pass on her & probably others for simply being a horror novelist.

I just can’t fathom why people would pass such harsh &, in my opinion, strange judgment on a person for writing fiction—regardless of the genre. The things mentioned in that post regarding those who choose to write horror, though, are outright appalling & definitely blew my mind. I had no idea. To say it’s ‘unhealthy’ or there ‘must be some deep-rooted issue’ for someone to be entertained by, let alone write in, the horror genre sounds incredibly insane to me. It’s fiction—pure & simple. One either enjoys reading/writing fictional horror or doesn’t. There’s no need to pass judgments on the readers or the writers of this or any other genre.

I’ve Been Tagged! 10 Random Facts About Me

Dragon & Unicorn Moon ~ Credit Cora Lee Healy aka khorah of DeviantArt.com

I’ve been tagged? Uh oh! Am I in trouble? What’d I do now? What the heck does that mean? Good gravy! She’s my friend & I hope I didn’t offend her somehow. Yeah. Leave it to me to have those be the first thoughts that popped into my mind. That notoriously rude ‘self-doubt monster’ rears its ugly head again, as usual. So, sledgehammer in hand in preparation to knock the monster on its silly head & apologize if I had, in fact, hurt my friend’s feelings, I marched off through the links to find out what I’d done.

Oh my goodness. It’s a game? All that angst was over a bit of blog-hopping writing kinship & fun? By the time I was finished reading what ‘Tagged from Me to You’ was all about, I was laughing so hard at myself over the silliness of my initial thoughts, the now unnecessary self-doubt monster slaying sledgehammer slipped from my grasp, landing on the virtual floor of my mind with a distinct thud. It probably would’ve served me right if it had, instead, landed on a toe as punishment for consistently allowing thoughts of fear or self-doubt play first.

Life Lessons From A Fiction Novel? Yes! (Book Review)

Among Women by J.M. Cornwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh Yes You Can Learn From A Fiction Novel ~ I Just Did

Among Women J.M. Cornwell

I have to say it’s been quite some time since I’ve been so personally pulled into a book that I literally felt as though I was experiencing every emotion, touch, sound, sight, taste, & smell as I did while reading this book. Naturally, those emotions & sensations were not always pleasant. However, the ability of Ms. Cornwell’s writing causing me to truly feel what the characters were feeling was definitely a pleasant surprise.

I did not, in any sense of the word, simply ‘read’ this book. I walked with Pearl on her journey–through the harrowing angst of uncertainty, the unexpected joys, the formation of friendships & adversaries alike, & ultimately through Pearl’s self-discovery. Pearl is simultaneously none of us & all of us. As I was, you will be stunned to discover that, more often than not, you can relate to Pearl on some level–most likely multiple levels. For instance, like Pearl, I generally have a tendency to find difficulty in truly bonding or getting along with & understanding other women. That’s merely one example–I don’t want to spoil the book–of Ms. Cornwell weaving the reader into the story.