Book Review: Got Luck by Michael Darling

 

Disclaimer: I was given this book for free in return for a honest review. This blog post contains affiliate links, see disclosure page for details

Title: Got Luck
Author: Michael Darling
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Crime
Publisher: Future House Publishing
Rating: 2/5 Stars

The Premise:

Police-officer-turned-private-investigator Goethe “Got” Luck is known for rolling with the punches and never taking anything too seriously. When he picks up a seemingly dead-end murder case, his life begins to take a crazy turn. Shot at, chased by people he has never met, and attacked by an invisible liondog, Got quickly learns that there is more to this world than meets the eye.

He discovers the Fae. The Eternals. They who dwell in the Behindbeyond. Once, they ruled over ancient realms, but over the centuries, their power dwindled. Now someone wants to restore their rule and subjugate humankind. All it will cost is thousands of human lives.

The clock is ticking. Getting the world out of this one will take a couple friends, more than a few well-placed insults, and a whole lot of Luck.

I became interested in this book, because the above blurb sounded like a pretty cool premise, promising a fast pasted, interesting story with a  twist that is not your standard fair for a fantasy/crime novel. But sadly,  I was disappointed. To be honest, I really do not like 1st person narratives. It is rare that books written in this particular  form are something I can lose myself in, so I had a bias from the moment I actually received the copy. For a first person narrative to be great, I have to connect deeply with the main character, and that connection has to happen rather quickly, in order for me to see the story through their eyes and enjoy the view. That rarely happens.

But, because I have been proven wrong before, I stuck with it and read the book to the end. I was not proven wrong. The plot itself seems a bit confusing at first, not finding much flow until the second half of the book, by which time, I would have already stopped reading, would I not have made the commitment to finish reading the book. While the second half was a little bit more entertaining, it still took me longer than usual to get through, simply because I had to drag myself back to the story, rather than being pulled in. With the immense amount of competition of great indie fantasy Authors now available on Amazon, a novel has to be special to stand out of the crowd, and I am sorry to say that this will be lost in the shuffle. Not my cup of tea.

Allspice – An A to Z Challenge Post

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! This month’s theme is “A Quick A to Z Guide to Herbs And Spices”, in order to celebrate tomorrow’s release of my “Mixing Spices” book!

So without further delay, let’s talk food!

A – Allspice:

Even though this spice is known to have a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, this is not a spice blend, but rather the dried unripe berry of a plant called Pimenta dioica.

Matches well with: turnips, sweet potatoes, grains, onions and corned beef. An important ingredient in Jamaican jerk spice blend

Health benefits: anti-inflammatory, anti-flatulent, increases the circulation of the skin and can be added to teas to stimulate appetite.

Magical Attributes: Associated with Mars and Fire. Useful in all healing mixtures. As oil and/or incense, it is often used to attract luck or money

(Disclaimer: The health benefits are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for medical advice)

If you enjoyed this entry, why not check out my book

“Mixing Herbs – A Flavorful Guide To Creating Awesome Herb and Spice Mixes”

On Sale April 2nd 2015!

Book Review: The Witch of Painted Sorrows

Title: The Witch Of Painted Sorrows
Author: M. J. Rose
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: March 17th, 2015
Rating 3.5 Stars
Like with many stories that are written in first person, I never connected with the novel. In order for it to work well, I must care deeply about the character who’s head I am about to spend time in, their thoughts and perception of the situation has to matter to me. The only way to do that is to make sure the writer connects the reader immediately, from the first page on. At no one point did  The Witch of Painted Sorrows, manage to do that for me.
Which in itself is a shame, I really wanted to love the story, wanted to know the many twists and turns the premise promised. While it was really well constructed, I never really cared deeply, feeling like a distant bored observer rather than an involved party.

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(Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley, in return for an honest review)

Planning The Next Challenge – April’s A to Z Challenge Is Coming Soon!

#MarWritingChallenge is almost over, and it is time to prepare for the A to Z Blogging Challenge, that is held every year here. There is still time to sign up for the Challenge!

In the middle of all of the craziness of getting ready to publish my book, however, I missed yesterday’s Theme reveal, where we were supposed to reveal our theme for the month. Actually, there is no theme required, but I highly recommend that if you interested in participating, that you should pick a theme.

In honor of the release of the new book, and because my head is already filled with an abundance of information on the subject, I decided to dedicate this month to herbs and spices. Here is the official poster for this blogs A to Z Challenge theme:

At the end of the challenge, I will put that little exercise together into a pdf and give it away to subscribers of this site! (No worries, a subscription option will be added this week, this site is somewhat under construction, but I am working my little fingers off to get it done before the challenge begins).

And do not forget to sign up for next months writing challenge, as we continue to thrive to writing more than 500 words per day – yes, writing on your blog for the A to Z challenge counts for that! Find out more here . Next months leader will be a wonderful lady, to who I will introduce you to shortly. She just released a novel, and it is on the Amazon Bestseller List! Yay!

Happy Writing!

P.S. Stay tuned for all of the wonderful things that are happening here at Avalon Media. I am giving away tons of stuff over the next few weeks and month, and have more book announcements to make, so take advantage of the form below and sign up for regular updates.  Hugs and blessings! 

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7 Sites To Promote Your Book Cheaply Or Free

We all want our books to get good reviews, rank higher on Amazon and get the buzz going, no matter if we write non-fiction e-book or the next epic novel. Having a limited time free book promotion can help you raise your ranking on Amazon, and you can utilize the following book promotion sites to help you even further along. Exposure and traffic to your book will bring future sales, so take advantage of this type of book promotion.
Some of these require you to register, some offer premium services while others are a little selective and limited to a specific range of genre.

Check them out:

Awesome Gang 
Book Goodies
Free Book Dude 
Pixel of Ink
E-Book Hunter 
FK Books And Tips
Published.com 

 

 

Looking for some more info on the subject of cheap or free book promotion? Check out this book, available on Amazon right now:

Book Review: Getting Things Done by David Allen (2015 Edition)

Title: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Author: David Allen

Genre: Self-Help

Publisher: Penguin Group

Release Date: March 17th, 2015

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Getting Things Done is the classic under the organizing books, the most effective system for those who have to deal with a lot of incoming information and are having a hard time with how to process it all.
GTD as many lovingly refer to this system, has helped many since its original publication, me included, and I was very excited to see that there was an updated version of the same book. Just as before, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get back into control of their incoming information. This is not just for the high-level executive, but also very valuable for the small business owner, to the housewife running her home. If you do not have the original book, get the new version now

(Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review)

Waiting On Wednesday “A Deadly Web” by Kay Hooper

Now here is a blog hop, I am very exited about participating in: Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, asks participants to post every Wednesday about a book they are looking forward to reading. This week, I chose a Paranormal book, that is a part of a series, I absolutely love:

Title: A Deadly Web
Author: Kay Hooper
Publisher: Jove
Genre: Paranormal Thriller/Romance
Release Date (aprox): April 7th, 2015

“John Brodie is a Guardian, a member of a secret network devoted to protecting the psychics in his charge from a ruthless—and virtually invisible—enemy.

Tasha Solomon is unaware of the Guardians’ existence—until the night the gifted psychic suffers a shocking and violent attack and Brodie saves her life.”

Tough and resilient, Tasha isn’t used to depending on anyone. But the assault has left her vulnerable. Tasha doesn’t know who wants her dead, or why, or when he will strike again. Now, she is forced to trust that Brodie can guide her through a tangled web of danger and deception toward a safe harbor—one she fears is more elusive with each dark and endless night. (From Kay Hooper’s Website)
I am a die-hard Kay Hooper fan, and every time there is any annoucement of a new book of hers to arrive soon, I am all happy. A Deadly Web is a part of her series “Bishop Files”, which re-visits my favorite FBI agents who all have “gifts”, psychic abilities of one form or another, and use these to hunt down killers of the most notorious kind. This is one book, I am hoping to be able to review via an advanced copy, but if not, I will be purchasing it the moment it is released. Can’t wait!

A Deadly Web (A Bishop Files Novel) will be available in Paperback and Kindle – you can pre-order it here

Snowed In – A Book Review

Title: Snowed In
Author: Sarah Title
Publisher: Kensington Books
Release Date: February 16th 2015
Rating: 5/5 Stars

“Snowed In” is an adorable, well written novella, steamy enough to heat any cold winter night! Short and sweet, yet thorough enough to create wonderful characters, that are loveable and dynamic. I love the two main characters, Maureen and Gavin to the point that I wanted more than fits in the framework of just one novella, at the same time no part of the story felt rushed, or moved along in order to keep the story short. The author knew when it was the right time to end it, and had a great feel for the needed length. This is absolutely one of my favorite romance novellas!

Happy Reading!

Claudia

365 Ways To Attract Good Luck by Richard Webster – A Review

Title: 365 Ways to Attract Good Luck
Author: Richard Webster
Release Date: Oct. 2014
Publisher: Llewellyn
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A surprisingly practical, while simple book. Well written and to the point, each tip is grounded in habits that can be easily adopted. While this book does not bring up anything new, it does put it into a package that might finally get the reader to actually follow through on the self-help and luck techniques many of us have read, many times. A bite-size quick read!

The All-Day Energy Diet – A Book Review

Title: The All-Day Energy Diet

Author: Yuri Elkaim

Publisher: Hay House

Publishing Date: September 29th 2014

Rating: 2/5 Stars

 

Another anti-gluten diet book that brings nothing new to the table, but is only regurgitating what many have written before – get rid of sugar and gluten in your diet and you will feel better. Just as with any of the fads that have existed in your lifetime regarding food and diet (Atkins Diet anyone?), this book jumps on what sells, and that is a pretend quick fix, rather than a fundamental personal assessment of one’s individual needs are which are only possible to be implemented with the assistance of professional guidance such as a holistic practitioner, a dietitian, or a doctor who is willing to put the time it takes to find out underlying causes for lack of energy. There are no quick fixes, and there are no one size fits all. Of course, one can try out many of these diets on their own, but that would only add to a stress level that is one of the many potential causes of low energy. It’s not the worst book on the subject, but it promises too much.