The Network Series Review Tour: Miss Mabel's School for Girls by Katie Cross/Giveaway

NETWORK SERIES

By Katie Cross

ABOUT MISS MABEL'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS:

Never Underestimate the Power of a Determined Witch.

Letum Wood is a forest of fog and deadfall, home to the quietly famous Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, a place where young witches learn the art of magic. Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has inherited a deadly curse. Determined to break free before it kills her, she enrolls in the respected school to confront the cunning witch who cast the curse: Miss Mabel.  Bianca finds herself faced with dark magic she didn’t expect, with lessons more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Will Bianca have the courage to save herself from the curse, or will Miss Mabel’s sinister plan be too powerful? 

Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is the first novel in The Network Series, an exciting new fantasy collection. A gripping tale about the struggle to survive, it will take you to a new place and time, one you’ll never want to leave.

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Review:

Expect the unexpected and never let your guard down when you're around Miss Mabel!

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe inherited a deadly curse from her grandmother. The curse, thrown by Miss Mabel many years ago stipulates that if it remains unbroken when the third generation female reaches seventeen, she will die. Bianca enrols at Miss Mabel’s School for Young Girls that teaches magic. Her ultimate goal is to convince Miss Mabel to break the curse, and she begins training to become Miss Mabel’s Assistant. Bianca soon learns how unfair, devious, and treacherous Miss Mabel can be when assigned peculiar dark magic assignments the other witches do not study. 

The poor girl struggles to survive this rigorous training but comes to realize that Miss Mabel does not intend to break the curse that will save her ailing grandmother’s life or her own. This infuriates her, but she decides to find another way to solve her dilemma using the hidden magic powers her father taught her. Bianca wonders if she will be strong enough to outwit the mistress of dark magic, who ruthlessly threatens to harm her loved ones if Bianca refuses to participate in the deadly scheme that she is brewing.

Miss Mabel's School for Girls is the first book in The Network Series by Katie Cross. This fast-paced story nicely combines humour, drama and magic with a good cast of characters. Miss Mabel is downright evil and despicable, so do not let her good looks and charming voice fool you. Bianca is a lot stronger than she believes, mentally and physically, having to endure the torturous training she receives. Each character played their roles convincingly and some kept me wondering if they were friends or foes. Katie Cross is imaginative and developed an intriguing story that made me want to keep reading. Letum Wood, where the school is located has an aura that I like. Miss Mabel's School for Girls is a terrific fantasy I recommend.

RATING   :            

ABOUT THE AUTHOR::

Katie Cross grew up in the mountains of Idaho, where she still loves to play when she gets the chance. If she’s not writing, you can find her traveling, working as a pediatric nurse, trail running with her husband and two dogs, or curled up with a book and a cup of chai.

  AUTHOR ONLINE:      Website  Blog  Facebook   Twitter @kcrosswriting

GIVEAWAY:

$30 Visa Gift Card

INT

Ends Aug. 12

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Book Review: Johnnie Come Lately

I am glad that I had the opportunity to read Johnnie Come Lately by Kathleen M. Rodgers and think it is as interesting as her award-winning novel, The Final Salute.

Book Review:

One would consider Johnnie Kitchen a fortunate woman for marrying Dale, a good-looking, devoted husband, and raising three lovely children. She cherishes her family but feels her life's accomplishments are inadequate and yearns to complete her college education. Johnnie overcame bulimia that plagued her while growing up, but still has the occasional urge to succumb to it. She realizes that part of her problems link to her past, because she never knew whom her father was, and wonders why her mother abandoned her when she was little. Why was she named after an uncle who died tragically?

Johnnie releases her woes in a journal by writing letters to the living and deceased associated with her life. When her son Cabe talks about his personal struggles, Johnnie becomes glum and confesses a secret that damages her relationship with Dale and the children. Her life appears to be spinning out of control and Johnnie just wants to puke. 

She wants to make things right, but only the unanswered questions of the past can resolve the unhappiness she now experiences. Meeting the new neighbour who constantly relives events in his past and hearing of a young soldier's injuries make her see things in another perspective. Although ailing Granny Opal has the answers, she refuses to tell Johnnie the truth that could set her free from the poignant anguish that has festered within her for so long.

Kathleen M. Rodgers' novel portrays normal people with concerns that readers can compare to their own. This is an intense, emotional drama with well-defined characters, who face their issues with different strengths and moods. Johnnie always seemed happy but her burdens were too heavy to carry alone. The author also brings to light how bulimia affects persons physically and mentally, and how it can remain untreated or undetected. Her charming writing style puts one at ease and Johnnie Come Lately is a novel I recommend reading.            

Rating:     

Links:                            Amazon                         Goodreads  

Please, feel free to comment.

Book Review: Italian Wine Notes

Book Review:

Italian Wine Notes is written by Bob Lipinski and Gary Grunner, both qualified connoisseurs in the wine industry. The book comprises alphabetical lists of both major wines and their areas of origin, foods of the region, a glossary and phonetic pronunciations of terms, wine categories and grape varieties. Italy has approximately 2 million acres of planted vineyards, which are divided into 20 wine producing regions. Each region adheres to DOCG, DOC and IGT laws, which have specifications for all types of wine produced and how grapes should be grown.

Italian wines are classed as Generic - place or origin; Varietal - varieties of grapes for specific wines; Proprietary - producer. The country is the world's largest producer of Vermouth and largest exporter of table wines into the United States. There are over 2,000 varieties of Italian wine which are an output no other country has surpassed.

Persons wishing to travel to Italy or who are interested in a wine and food career will recognize the full worth of Italian Wine Notes. The goal of the authors is to educate readers on Italy and their wines by providing more informative and in-depth data using a journal Gary Grunner kept on the topic, as well  as input from Bob Lipinski. The authors not only elaborate on wines, but include major regional soccer teams, places of interests and towns, cheeses, a listing of DOCG wines as of 2013, and other relevant content that made Italian Wine Notes even more enlightening to read.

Book Links:                       Amazon      Goodreads

Rating:         

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite.

Please, feel free to comment.

Book Review: The Final Salute

Book Review:

The Final Salute is a military fiction by Kathleen Rodgers. Colonel Tuck Westerfield, a fighter pilot at Beauregard Air Force base who flew in the Gulf war, mourns the death of his friend and colleague. His unhappiness rises after catching his Commanding Officer cheating with another officer, as his boss constantly threatens him. Gina, Tuck's wife, worries about his moodiness, which the neighbour's dog provokes; and Michelle, her rebellious, gothic-attired stepdaughter who visits. 

Tuck travels down Memory Lane, reliving his childhood while remembering his friends and colleagues who died courageously, and wonders why life deals such blows. He is assigned to the Middle East after Iraq invades Kuwait and his experiences there make him more determined to consider changes to his life if he survives.

Kathleen Rodgers has created an engrossing military fiction appropriately called The Final Salute. She gives a very realistic account of what life is like in the air force, both from those who serve and from their family members' point of view. It is an intriguing story that has so many emotions as the diverse characters express their joys, fears, pains and sadness in different ways. 

The author also demonstrated quite nicely how a few military careers may be tarnished and how some scandals or other conflicts are quickly covered up. The Final Salute is a book I did not want to put down, and I think Kathleen Rodgers writes descriptively and with compassion. She shows readers another side of military life in an original and interesting format.


Rating:       

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite.

Here are links to The Final Salute which has been featured on USA-Today, The Associated Press, Military Times and many other publications.

Amazon                               Goodreads

Please, feel free to comment.

cupid's cure (senryu)

broke up with boyfriend

moody emotional wreck

ice-cream therapy

+++++

Image courtesy of wikimediacommons.org

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Book Review: 101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey

Book Review:

"Whenever someone asks me if I want water with my Scotch, I say, I'm thirsty, not dirty." - Joe E. Lewis, 1902-1971, American actor and comedian.

101: Everything You Need to Know About Whiskey is a very informative book by Bob Lipinsky. The author gives a general description about whiskies, their distinctive features and flavours, countries of origin, history, ingredients used and definitions. The types of whiskies include corn, Bourbon, Canadian, Japanese and Irish. Some whiskey flavours include almond, toffee, nuts, fruit, ginger and honey. Whiskey only ages in wooden barrels and ceases to improve once removed. It does, however, react well to sunlight. A bottle of 25- year-old Scotch purchased 10 years ago will remain 25-year-old, and shelf life depends on consumption.

"My God, so much I like to drink Scotch that sometimes I think my name is Igor Stra-whiskey." - Igor Stravinsky, 1882-1971, Russian-born modern composer.

Although I don't drink whiskey, I was tempted to while reading this insightful, educational book. Bob Lipinski was very thorough and knowledgeable in his research, providing a wealth of information regarding whiskey. I was impressed with the content and loved the whiskey-infused quotes. The sections on Drinks of American Presidents and Celebrities, Classic Whiskey Cocktails and unusual Slang Terms are interesting. The United States Congress passed a resolution recognizing bourbon whiskey as a distinctive product of their country so other countries don't have the right to call their whiskey products bourbon. 101: Everything You Need to Know About Whiskey is worth reading.

Here are links for Bob Lipinski's book:

Amazon                           Goodreads

Rating:      

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite.

Please, feel free to comment.

Book Reviews: 200 Homophone Jokes for Wordplay Lovers & English Laughs Best

Book Review:

"We don't stop laughing because we grow old;
We grow old because we stop laughing." - (Michael Pritchard)

If you are tired of hearing or repeating the same jokes and puns at parties, the office or other gatherings, then you will welcome 200 Homophones for Wordplay Lovers by Razvan Macovei. This book offers a stimulating variety of amusing anecdotes. It is also very useful for persons who are studying English or want to study the language. A handy Key to Joke Comprehension at the back of the book lists the content with explanations, in case readers do not understand the anecdote. The book contains witty sketches too.

What does a cannibal say after the first date? - "I would like to gnaw you better."

"Rooster found dead with an egg next to it. Police suspect fowl play."

The above are two examples of jokes that Razvan Macovei wrote in his book.

Here are links to 200 Homophones for Wordplay Lovers.

Amazon                                                    Goodreads

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"When humour goes, there goes civilization." Erma Bombeck, American Humourist

English Laughs Best: 300 Fabulous Pun Jokes to Learn English is another entertaining book by the author that I have read. His primary goal when writing this book was to make people smile. The second reason was to enrich a person's vocabulary with useful idioms and phrases. 

Why is punctuation so hard to digest? - It gets stuck in the colon.

Why are sculptors great lovers? - They put their spouses on a pedestal.

Razvan Macovei has included an Appendix and Pun Mind Map, which contains key words or image association that will make the jokes easier to remember. Due to the content of some cartoons and jokes, English Laughs Best: 300 Fabulous Pun Jokes to Learn English is more appropriate for teens and older persons.

Here are the links to the author's book.

Amazon                          Goodreads

Please, feel free to comment