Location: United States
Member Since: Nov. 28, 2011
Andrea
Books
This member has not published any books.Smashwords book reviews by Andrea
- The Enchanted Book
on Dec. 19, 2011
I received this through a member giveaways program in exchange for a review. This read like a re-do on Cinderella but with male characters. There is a teenage boy named Jimmy, his stepdad and twin stepbrothers. His stepdad raised him since his mother died and he has had to serve the stepbrothers as well as work at 2 of his stepdad's businesses. Jimmy finds an enchanted book named Nixy that belonged to his mother. Jimmy gets grounded from going to the Prom so Nixy helps him out with the outfit and a ride to the Prom. This was a good, quick read but it needed a lot of proofreading/editing. It did hold my attention though! It ended rather abruptly so there could be more to come.
- The Enchanted Book
on Dec. 19, 2011
I received this through a member giveaways program in exchange for a review. This read like a re-do on Cinderella but with male characters. There is a teenage boy named Jimmy, his stepdad and twin stepbrothers. His stepdad raised him since his mother died and he has had to serve the stepbrothers as well as work at 2 of his stepdad's businesses. Jimmy finds an enchanted book named Nixy that belonged to his mother. Jimmy gets grounded from going to the Prom so Nixy helps him out with the outfit and a ride to the Prom. This was a good, quick read but it needed a lot of proofreading/editing. It did hold my attention though! It ended rather abruptly so there could be more to come.
- Angel Evolution
on Dec. 23, 2011
I don't think I've read any books yet that are angel vs. demon so this was my first one and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main character is a girl named Taylor who goes off to college with her friend Samantha. Taylor is special and she has attracted the attention of the angels and demons. The angels believe Taylor's aura can be harnessed and used to help them defeat the demons. Taylor meets Gabriel (the angel) and Christopher (the demon) in college. She falls in love with Gabriel. Christopher ends up dating her friend. Taylor find herself having to decide who to believe and which side to choose. I thought the characters were well developed and the story flowed smoothly. I couldn't put this book down as I was too engrossed in the story and wanting to see what would be the ultimate outcome. The story ended rather abruptly and kind of left me hanging so I will definitely be picking up the next two books in this series. I received this book through a Member Giveaway program in exchange for a review.
- The Circle of Sorcerers: A Mages of Bloodmyr Novel: Book #1
on Dec. 29, 2011
I really enjoyed this fantasy novel. It is the story of 16 year old Laedron who is going away for mage training. He gets caught up in the beginnings of a war between the Sorbian mages and the Heraldan priests. I haven't read a fantasy in a long time and I quite enjoyed this one which I read in just 2 days. The storyline flowed so smoothly and the characters were well developed. I felt the background/landscape could have been described a little bit more. The book ended rather abruptly and has left me waiting to read the next book to see what will happen with Laedron and the Knights of the Shimmering Dawn. I received this book through a member giveaway program in exchange for a review.
- Face-Off (Book One)
on Dec. 30, 2011
This book is geared towards young adults and I found it to be a good read that held my attention throughout. I read it in just over a day. It is mainly about 2 fraternal twin brothers. One goes to private school and the other goes to public school. Both play hockey and when their parents can no longer afford the private school T.J. has to transfer to public school with his brother Brad. This story gets into everyday problems like sibling rivalry and kids dealing with their parents divorcing. It also teaches a good lesson on how even brothers can overcome their sibling rivalry and work together to achieve a goal. I enjoyed this story and just may have to pick up the next one when it comes out. I received this through a member giveaway program in exchange for a review.
- After Ten
on Jan. 05, 2012
This one basically falls in the chick-lit genre. This is the story of 4 friends who are going to law school together. One night at dinner they all write down their goals for themselves for 10 years after graduation and they agree to meet back at the restaurant the night before their 10 year reunion to see how things turned out. Each of these 4 ladies deal with different real life issues and the characters were very believable. The story alternates between the present (which is their meeting at the restaurant before the reunion) and then goes back and forth between the 4 ladies and different times throughout each of their lives in the last 10 years. I usually find books that go back and forth between time periods/characters to be very choppy and disorienting but this book was well written in that regard. The changes are laid out very well and flow smoothly. My only gripe with this book was the amount of typos in it. I received this book through a member giveaway program in exchange for a review.
- The Trees: A Collection
on Jan. 05, 2012
This book contained 5 short stories. I received an e-book through a member giveaways program. I read this in just 2 sittings-I started late at night so I just read the first three stories and finished the other 2 the next morning. These stories were all so different and some were a little quirky. The only thing that bothered me just slightly was that there were some places in a couple of the stories that seemed a little jumpy and changed quite unexpectedly. Overall I enjoyed this quick read and my favorite story was The Trees which had a twist at the end that I didn't quite see coming. I received this book through a member giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.
- Up in the Attic and Other Stories
on Jan. 09, 2012
This was a collection of 7 short stories-all set around the Christmas holiday. I waited until after the holidays to read them because some of them had were a little dark. My favorite was the first story because of the twist in the ending. A lot of the stories did have a quirky twist that was kind of interesting. My biggest problem with this book so the numerous typos and sometimes the characters names would be changed from one paragraph to the next. I had to take a break between each of these stories because I felt the author was a little bit too descriptive in some parts. I received this ebook for free through LibraryThing member giveaways. Although no review was requested, I still chose to write my honest review.
- Not Quite Ordinary
on Jan. 09, 2012
I received this free ebook through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review. The young adult genre is one of my favorites and this book definitely fit! I quite enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick read because for me it was a page turner. This is the story of a teenage girl named Sarah who has always felt that everything about her life is ordinary. She longs to be extraordinary in some way. She hasn't seen her grandmother since she was little girl and doesn't understand why her father won't permit her to have any contact with her grandmother. Sarah decides to start snooping for information and discovers some letters from her grandmother. She decides to find her grandmother and upon reuniting discovers that she comes from a family of witches and warlocks. Sarah also learns that she a very powerful witch and is prophesied to be the chosen one who will defeat the dark forces. I really liked this story and the characters, especially the grandmother Lily. I felt that Sarah could have been a little stronger but I guess that was the whole point of her feeling ordinary. This book ended rather abruptly for me and left me wanting to see what will happen so I will definitely be on the lookout for the next in this series!
- Not Quite Ordinary
on Jan. 09, 2012
I received this free ebook through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review. The young adult genre is one of my favorites and this book definitely fit! I quite enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick read because for me it was a page turner. This is the story of a teenage girl named Sarah who has always felt that everything about her life is ordinary. She longs to be extraordinary in some way. She hasn't seen her grandmother since she was little girl and doesn't understand why her father won't permit her to have any contact with her grandmother. Sarah decides to start snooping for information and discovers some letters from her grandmother. She decides to find her grandmother and upon reuniting discovers that she comes from a family of witches and warlocks. Sarah also learns that she is a very powerful witch and is prophesied to be the chosen one who will defeat the dark forces. I really liked this story and the characters, especially the grandmother Lily. I felt that Sarah could have been a little stronger but I guess that was the whole point of her feeling ordinary. This book ended rather abruptly for me and left me wanting to see what will happen so I will definitely be on the lookout for the next in this series!
- Dreams of Gray
on Jan. 10, 2012
I received this ebook for free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review. This was a quick read-took me a few hours to get through it. This is the story of Dreama-Dree for short. She wakes up in the woods naked with a tattoo that she doesn't remember getting. Eventually she is approached by a lady named Slate and finds out that she is a werewolf (as is Slate). Dree and Slate go on a hunt to find the man who made them into werewolves and gave them the tattoo mark. I thought this was a good read as I usually like any books that are paranormal. There was some sexual content. The characters were believable and somewhat gritty. I thought the author could have been a bit more descriptive about the characters as I could not picture any of them while I was reading. It did end rather abruptly and has definitely left room for a sequel.
- The New Death and others
on Jan. 13, 2012
This is a collection of poetry, flash fiction and short stories. There was quite a different mixture with most being either dark or fantasy. Many of them were quirky or had a twist in the end. I felt this either should have been organized differently put into 2 different books. I found it a little difficult after reading a rather lengthy poem to go into reading a short story and had to take a break to refocus. I rather enjoyed the poetry the most which is unusual for me as I'm not much of a poetry fan. There were some stories that I liked quite well and others I just couldn't get into all the way. There were a couple that made me chuckle too. Overall a fast read and a good collection! I received this ebook for free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- The Inhabitants of Magnolia Park
on Jan. 26, 2012
This is a collection of 2 short stories relating to characters who live in an apartment complex called Magnolia Park. The first story is about Peyton and Jared-they live across from eachother in the complex and are inexplicably attracted to eachother. The second story is mainly about the strong friendship between Jariah and Andy. In the beginning of this story something happens to Jariah and then we skip ahead to when he is an adult and finally learned what happened to him and why he feels the need to take care of Andy, who is now an alcoholic. This was a quick read-I read it in under two hours. I am giving it 3 stars because it just registered somewhere in the middle for me-I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. I felt that some more editing could have been done as there were some typos (but only a few). Just a quick read that gave me a break in between some of the longer novels I've been reading. I received this free ebook through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- Dreamwater
on Jan. 30, 2012
This is a collection of 3 fantasy short stories. It was a quick read...took me just over an hour to read them and left me wanting more of each story. Each story was told so well and so descriptive that I could picture all these characters. Two of the stories had a little twist in the end. I could see each of these stories developing into a novel with more background on each of these main characters. The first story had elves, the second had Shell People and the third had shifters. I will definitely be looking for more from this author. I received this free ebook through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- Sink or Swim
on Feb. 01, 2012
This is the 2nd book I've read by this author and I've enjoyed both of them. Cassidy has been away from home for 3 months participating in a reality show called Sink or Swim. She hopes to win the million dollar prize so she can open her own chain of fitness centers. She comes in second place by only 5 points so she returns home and goes back to work at her old job. The only problem is she now has a stalker who is sending her gifts and letters, breaking into her mom's home and also kidnaps her brother. Two other members of the cast also get murdered. Cassidy has to try to protect herself and her family while also trying to figure out who the stalker is. This book was well written and very descriptive. Cassidy was a very likeable and well developed character. She is strong and independent even in her current situation but she still does show her emotions and allows herself to be helped eventually. There was mystery and a touch of romance too. I kept thinking I knew who the stalker was and I was totally surprised at who it turned out to be. For me this was a page turner and I was immersed into the story until the very end. I received this ebook for free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for my honest review.
- Munki Moo Moo - Toni Brown, Book 1
on Feb. 02, 2012
This is the story of 15 year old Toni Brown. She is invited to a rock stars motel room and from then on things get weird! She has to pick up a package which turns out to be a baby with yellow eyes and has to deliver it to Munki Moo Moo. She is pursued by Hoods and a Shadow Assassin. I really don't know what genre this book falls into. I would say some type of dark urban/bizarre fantasy. I have never read anything quite like this story before. There is some content that, in my opinion, is inappropriate for young adults. This was a quick read-took just a few hours to read the whole thing. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for my honest review.
- Lowcountry Ghosts: Stories of Alice Flagg, Confederate Blockade Runners, and Haunted Beads
on Feb. 06, 2012
This is a collection of 3 short stories that are ghost stories with a lot of the history also. I read this in just a couple hours. These stories weren't scary, but mostly historical taking the reader through the history behind each of these ghosts. All of these stories are set in the Carolina Lowcountry. I found these stories to be interesting and liked the one about the Haunted Beads the most. It was nice to get some history along with the story. I received this ebook for free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- Three French Hens - A Christmas Collection
on Feb. 09, 2012
This is a collection of 3 short stories all centered around Christmas and each with a paranormal aspect. The first has a vampire who is preying on an elderly lady, the second deals with a reality television show featuring a singing trio of sisters that turn out to be demons and the third has a main character named Darcy who is a time traveler that encounters Santa Claus. Each of these stories have a twist in them which I really enjoyed. They could have had another proofread as there were some typos. This was a quick read and a good break in between my normal reading. I liked these stories overall but they didn't engage me like some others I have read. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- Bait For The Tiger
on Feb. 23, 2012
This is a science fiction short story/novelette. I don't usually read sci-fi but I found this story enjoyable. It is basically about an agent, Mr. Norton, who hunts aliens and he ends up missing. The other agents decide to send Mr. Norton's wife Valentine in as a decoy to help them infiltrate the alien camp and hopefully locate her husband. The story starts off kind of slow but I was able to get into it more about halfway through. The author did a great job at describing the characters and I could picture them as I was reading. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- Spirits Rising
on Feb. 29, 2012
This is the story of Rachel, who is sensitive to paranormal activity. She has moved to a small town in Newfoundland hoping to get a little respite from spirits. She is the one teenagers call when they have been drinking and she gives them a ride home so they are safe. One evening she gets a call from a teenager Manuel who has a problem-he has summoned Viking spirits and they are drinking and trashing his parents basement. Rachel, with the help of her 93 year old neighbor Mrs. Saunders, has to figure out how to banish all these Viking spirits plus other spirits that show up before they hurt someone or do more damage. This novelette was a quick read and there is definitely room for more in the series. Mrs. Saunders was my favorite of the characters. I would like to see Rachel develop more into a heroine instead of appearing to always need help. Overall I liked the story and will be looking for more from this author. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- River Daughter and Other Stories
on March 08, 2012
(no rating)
This contains 4 short stories and the first 5 chapters of another of the author's novels. I am only reviewing the short stories here as the novel is on my list to be read and I will review that after I read the entire book. These short stories each contain an element of fantasy and are quite dark at times. The first one involves a pregnant witch who takes people up the river on her boat. She has a special relationship with the river where she nourishes the river and the river nourishes her. The second story involves crossing the border, but with a twist in it as to how the crossing is accomplished. The third involves a girl named Cassy that the town thinks is a witch and she ends up saving the town from a deadly tornado (with the help of another person). The last story is the story of a mom and her 2 children and the lengths she will go to protect them. Overall I enjoyed these stories and it was a very quick read. I liked the fantasy elements in each of them but just felt like they were too short. There were also some typos that kind of threw me out of whack but there weren't too many. Some of the stories ended abruptly and I wish there had been a little bit more development. I look forward to reading a novel by this author which is on my reading list in the near future. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- Missing Mandy
on March 13, 2012
(no rating)
I read this one in just a few hours. Danny, who is a painter, has moved to the small town of Ankleton to get away from the stress of living in the city. He has just purchased a cottage that has a view of the lake behind his house, but not long after he moves in he starts to smell the scent of oranges. Sometimes the smell is so strong that it makes it hard for him to breathe. He meets a girl named Mandy and becomes concerned as he thinks she is being abused as there are bruise marks on her. I cannot really tell any more of the story as it would contain spoilers. I really liked the premise of this book and it could have been developed a lot more. There were a lot of typos throughout the whole story that kind of got a bit bothersome. That being said, I did enjoy the story and was glued to the pages to see what the outcome would be. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- And They Called Her Spider: A Bartleby and James Adventure
on April 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this novelette/short story which I read in just a little over an hour. The main characters are Bartleby and James. The tale takes place in London where there is an assassin called The Spider. Bartleby and James are trying to track down The Spider before the Platinum Jubilee. I felt like I really got to know these two detectives in such a short amount of time. They even made me laugh a few times. Had a little bit of steampunk feel with the airships. For such a short story it really felt complete and I will be on the lookout for more from Bartleby & James. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
- Dangerous Barter: A Novella
on April 19, 2012
I read this short story/novella in just under an hour. Laura is having a midnight meeting with her soon to be ex-husband Michael at their mansion. She is expecting to get the signed divorce papers from him. I won't tell any more so as not to give away any spoilers. I always like stories with a twist in them and this one had several twists in it. My only complaint is that it really needed additional editing. There were some places that seemed a little repetitive and too descriptive. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways. NO review was requested in exchange for the book but I still wanted to post my honest review.
- After Dinner Mint & Other Stories
on April 26, 2012
This is a collection of 5 short stories. They all have some sort of twist in them or practical jokes. My favorite was the last story which is called The Will. I have read 2 other books by this author and the strange word uses are still present in this book as well. I do enjoy the twists and surprises present in each of these stories. Several of these just fell flat for me seeming to end too suddenly. Others I just didn't get, but overall a good quick read. I received this ebook free through LibraryThing member giveaways. A review was not requested in exchange for this book but I still wanted to leave my honest review.