Free Fiction Friday #126

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Free Fiction Friday #126! For those of you who are new to this blog, or who may have missed out on the previous Free Fiction Fridays—every Friday I post an article containing 10 fiction e-books that are 100% FREE on Amazon at the time of posting and an additional 5 that are roughly of the same genre, and on sale for less than $5.

I try my best to make sure they are all 4+ stars, have over 40+ reviews, and are 100 pages minimum—so you can have a hand-picked list of the best-of-the-best to choose from and enjoy over the long weekend (while I do more important things, like laundry). I try to switch up the genres every week, and this week our theme is:  Young Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy!

THE FREE

THE BARGAINS

Free Fiction Friday #122

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Free Fiction Friday #122! For those of you who are new to this blog, or who may have missed out on the previous Free Fiction Fridays—every Friday I post an article containing 10 fiction e-books that are 100% FREE on Amazon at the time of posting and an additional 5 that are roughly of the same genre, and on sale for less than $5.

I try my best to make sure they are all 4+ stars, have over 40+ reviews, and are 100 pages minimum—so you can have a hand-picked list of the best-of-the-best to choose from and enjoy over the long weekend (while I do more important things, like laundry). I try to switch up the genres every week, and this week our theme is:  Science Fiction & Fantasy!

THE FREE

THE BARGAINS

Free Fiction Friday #118

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Free Fiction Friday #118! For those of you who are new to this blog, or who may have missed out on the previous Free Fiction Fridays—every Friday I post an article containing 10 fiction e-books that are 100% FREE on Amazon at the time of posting and an additional 5 that are roughly of the same genre, and on sale for less than $5.

I try my best to make sure they are all 4+ stars, have over 40+ reviews, and are 100 pages minimum—so you can have a hand-picked list of the best-of-the-best to choose from and enjoy over the long weekend (while I do more important things, like laundry). I try to switch up the genres every week, and this week our theme is:  Young Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy!

THE FREE

THE BARGAINS

Free Fiction Friday #114

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Free Fiction Friday #114! For those of you who are new to this blog, or who may have missed out on the previous Free Fiction Fridays—every Friday I post an article containing 10 fiction e-books that are 100% FREE on Amazon at the time of posting and an additional 5 that are roughly of the same genre, and on sale for less than $5.

I try my best to make sure they are all 4+ stars, have over 40+ reviews, and are 100 pages minimum—so you can have a hand-picked list of the best-of-the-best to choose from and enjoy over the long weekend (while I do more important things, like laundry). I try to switch up the genres every week, and this week our theme is:  Science Fiction & Fantasy!

Where’s the Reviews?! Just wanted to give you guys a bit of a heads up. I have been super busy the last few months, so posts have pretty much been restricted to Free Fiction Fridays. I finally moved, and since have been working on a really fun editing project for a couple of books, as well as dealing with homeschool. My daughter and I put together a hands-on science project this year which involves breeding live insects, snails, and fish in order to learn about biology, ecology, the nitrogen cycle, etc. – so we’ve been a bit busy keeping up with the maintenance involved and the observation of the animals. It’s been super fun, but my schedule’s been really tight – so reviews have fallen a bit to the wayside until I get my schedule back under control. Thank you for being so understanding. Please, feel free to continue to send in review requests – just understand that I might not get to them for awhile.

THE FREE

THE BARGAINS

Free Fiction Friday #110

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Free Fiction Friday #110! For those of you who are new to this blog, or who may have missed out on the previous Free Fiction Fridays—every Friday I post an article containing 10 fiction e-books that are 100% FREE on Amazon at the time of posting and an additional 5 that are roughly of the same genre, and on sale for less than $5.

I try my best to make sure they are all 4+ stars, have over 40+ reviews, and are 100 pages minimum—so you can have a hand-picked list of the best-of-the-best to choose from and enjoy over the long weekend (while I do more important things, like laundry). I try to switch up the genres every week, and this week our theme is:  Young Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy!

THE FREE

THE BARGAINS

Book Review: Shadows of Ghosts

Title: Shadows of Ghosts

Author: L.A. McGinnis

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Dark Fantasy

Rating: 3 Stars (2.5)

Description/Synopsis:

Driving to South Carolina to claim an inheritance from a total stranger didn’t figure into Logan Dean’s long term plans. But she’d be a fool to pass up an opportunity, and her mother didn’t raise any fools. Now she’s fighting to stay alive in the middle of a vampire war. Thankfully, she’s discovered an ally in mysterious Ian Grant. As her feelings for Ian grow, Logan realizes if she wants the love she deserves, she’ll have to fight the demons of her past.

For over a hundred years, cynical Ian Grant swore to never love another woman. But from the first time he saw Logan, he knew an ancient part of his history had come back to haunt him, and the one thing he doesn’t want becomes the one thing he has to have.

Two irreconcilable lives, five hundred years of history, and all they have to do to live happily ever after is defeat the evil that threatens to tear them apart

WARNING – SPOILERS MAY ENSUE BEYOND THIS POINT – REVIEW BELOW

I certainly have mixed feelings about Shadows of Ghosts by L.A. McGinnis. Although the writing was mostly easy to read with a clear narrative voice, there were quite a few typos that really should have been cleaned up before publication. The plotline was interesting, as well as the many characters—I really enjoyed Logan as the female lead… but this book suffered from one major problem.

Pacing.

This book moved incredibly quickly from plot point to plot point. Conversations, action, and basic periods of time were flipped through one after the other. Unfortunately, this gave the book a rushed feel, and it made it harder to follow along with what was happening, as well as to grow attached to the characters. The romance, the friendships, the drama… it didn’t feel believable because of how quickly everything was moving. It felt like one moment Logan was discovering the brooding male lead, and then the next she was in Scotland with his friends (who, as far as I can recall, she was never introduced to), and then they were back home. The drama and romance came off as cheesy and fake because there was no time to soak in the sexual tension or the conflict in the relationship.

I think this book could have been really spectacular as a paranormal romance read, but the pacing just absolutely killed it for me. Overall, it was an okay read. I was entertained, I liked the characters, and the plot was interesting and well-thought out… I just wish the author had slowed down to let me enjoy it.

Book Review: My Soul To Give

Title: My Soul To Give [A Demon’s Love 1]

Author: Magali A. Frechette

Genre: Dark Romance, Contemporary, Fantasy

Rating: 4 Stars

Description/Synopsis:

When Celina Leviet escapes the brutal home invasion that kills her husband, she’s left with a bullet in her gut and vengeance in her heart. An alluring demon, Mekaisto, offers an irresistible deal—in exchange for her soul, he’ll let her live long enough to get her revenge, but she must hunt and kill the murderers herself.

After sealing the contract, Celina digs into her husband’s past for clues about his murder, and what she uncovers makes her question everything she thought she knew about him.

His company never existed.

His family history was a lie.

And he was involved with The Lumen, a shadowy religious order whose members know too much about demons. As the life she thought she knew crumbles around her, Mekaisto’s charms become harder to resist. Forced to face a horrible truth, Celina struggles against her late husband’s betrayal and the dark seduction of the devil she knows.

WARNING – SPOILERS MAY ENSUE BEYOND THIS POINT – REVIEW BELOW

I’ll admit it. I have a thing about demons in my romance fiction—I love the danger of the forbidden relationship they represent, and the tension in trying to figure out if they can truly be trusted at their word… so it should be no surprise that I enjoyed My Soul To Give by Magali A. Frechette. There was certainly an aspect of danger and the forbidden to its characters and plotline, even crossing over the line a little too far at times. This was definitely not your conventional romance.

The characters were interesting, complex, and compelling. Their romance was steamy, a bit taboo, and sweet at the same time. The mystery and aspects of the murder plotline kept the story jaunting along, and I couldn’t help but get sucked into the narrative.

I don’t think this story is going to work for everyone though. There are definitely a lot of questionable aspects of the characters and plot that aren’t going to sit well with some readers, especially those who are firmly religious. If you’re one of those people, this book is not going to be for you—and it’s not meant to be.

If you’re into dark fantasy, I highly recommend you pick this one up. It was certainly a captivating read, and the ending was one I didn’t see coming!