Book Review: The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton

The Princess and the Pony is a picturebook by Kate Beaton. Princess Pinecone knows exactly what she wants for her birthday this year. A big, strong horse. A horse fit for the warrior princess that she is! But when the day arrives, she doesn't quite get the horse of her dreams.

The Princess and the Pony is the story of every girl raised in a rough and tumble environment but is treated like a breakable princess. While the other warriors (both male and female) get armor and weapons young Princess Pinecone gets fuzzy sweaters. for her birthday she desperately wants a big, strong war horse. Instead she gets a rolly, poly pony with occasionally crossed eyes! It makes me chuckle just thinking about the illustrations of the pony, especially since it was too short for even the young princess to ride. When a big battle comes Princess Pinecone hopes the pony will prove itself worthy, and ends up winning the day in a completely unexpected way. So, we see that cuteness can be a weapon and that it is foolish to judge a warrior by their apparent fierceness or a pony (or princess) by its cuteness. Each is powerful in their own way, and deserve cuddly sweaters as well as respect for their strength. I just loved the pony, and the turn about at the end of the story.

The Princess and the Pony is a laugh out loud picturebook that deserves to be shared with readers of all ages, and all dynamics. Be prepared to be charmed, laugh a bit, and fall in love with an unforgettable pony. 

Early Book Review: A Silver Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear

A Silver Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear is the seventeenth installment in the Heart of the Wolf series. C.J. Silver is eager to help the new she-wolves in town renovate the old hotel in time for the holidays, especially if it means spending time under the mistletoe with the alluring Laurel MacTire. The bustle in the long abandoned hotel attracts the attention of human ghosthunters out to prove the place haunted, but the bigger problem is keeping them from discovering the werewolves in Silver Town. CJ and Laurel have to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. Working together is a surprisingly hot holiday treat for two attractive and clever wolf shifters.

A Silver Wolf Christmas might be late in a series, but each book can stand on its own. While having read many (but not all) of the books in the series I recognized some of the characters. Knowing the background of side characters and the werewolf pack add a second layer of enjoyment to the story, but it is not necessary to dive into and enjoy this (or any) installment of the series.

C.J. is a good guy doing his part to keep the town, and his pack, running smoothly. The addition of three eligible sisters to the community is welcome, especially because of the chemistry between him and Laurel. He wants nothing more than to get to know Laurel, but she has other plans. Laurel and her sisters are trying to figure out what happened to her aunt years ago in the Silver Town. Buying and taking on the hotel she is rumored to have been living in is the best way they have to find the truth. However, the community has been very welcoming and the girls do not know who to trust. If something horrible happened to their aunt then it happened ere, and it was likely done by someone with family still in town. Meanwhile, a trio of ghost hunters are sniffing around the hotel with their own agenda. With all that going on with the sparks between Laurel and C.J. help or hurt the search for the full truth? 

A Silver Wolf Christmas is a solid read, and while long time fans of the series will relish the return to Silver Town, I barely remember the last time the series brought me here. I really enjoyed the main characters, and the introduction to many new to me characters. There is plenty of new ground to cover in this series, and I enjoy the balance of connected stories and the ability for each book to also stand well on its own.  

Book Review: Digby O'Day and the Great Diamond Robbery by Shirley Hughes, Clara Vulliamy

Digby O'Day and the Great Diamond Robbery is a children’s chapter book written by Shirley Hughes, and illustrated by Clara Vulliamy. This is the second book about the adventures of Digby and his best friend Percy, but the books do stand on their own. This time Digby and Percy are off on a special vacation by the sea, but instead of the relaxation they expect, they find themselves in the midst of a grand adventure involving a pop star, a stolen necklace, and exploring caves with a new friend.

Digby O'Day and the Great Diamond Robbery is a great adventure for young readers. So many books for new readers are overly simple or silly, but this series is smart and interesting. Zigby has no interest in pop stars, although Percy is more than a little awestruck. The pair walk the scenic routes, making a new local friend. When the pop star is robbed the friendly pair accidentally stumble across the solution to the mystery of the stolen necklace. Once again their good natures and honesty serves the pair well and they are significantly rewarded for their positive traits. 

Digby O'Day and the Great Diamond Robbery is another early chapter book that offers readers an interesting, solid story paired with a lesson in being a good person. I would definitely recommend this book for young readers as well as more advanced readers that want to enjoy the tale.  

Book Review: Taming a Highland Devil by Kimberly Killion

Taming a Highland Devil is a novella by Kimberly Killion. Laird Magnus Sutherland loves women. His prowess in the bedchamber has earned him the name Devil of Dunrobin, but no woman has ever stirred his heart. Magnus needs to provide his clan with an heir, which is the only reason he agrees to marry the neighboring chieftain's sister. When his betrothed arrives, he discovers the chieftain has two sisters. If Magnus must bind himself to one woman, he intends to discover which is best suited to be his wife, for he wants more than a body to plant his seed. He wants a mate for life. There are three reasons Lady Effie Reay refuses to vie for Laird Sutherland's affections. For one, she is thirty-two and would surely lose a competition to her beautiful, younger sister. Secondly, Laird Sutherland is a well-reputed rake, and she holds no desire to wed another faithless man. And thirdly, the sight of him makes her tingle, shiver and ache. Will Effie be successful in thwarting Magnus' advances, or will her body succumb to a temptation that can only lead to heartbreak?

Taming a Highland Devil is a short, and sex heavy, romance. I was a little thrown when the story begins with Magnus and two women having a good time in bed. When Effie and her family arrive is seems like it is mere moments before Effie’s sister and Magnus are getting to know each other rather intimately. For such a short book there is a whole lot of bedsport. The slow evolution of Effie coming together with Magnus, and the near miss at the end make for a good story. I would dub this much closer to erotica than the historical romance that I expected. I think the details of the story could have been used, and elaborated on, to create a full length novel.  However, since about 2/3rds of the story involves someone in bed (and not having vanilla sex), I worry what a full length novel might involve.

Taming a Highland Devil is a short read for those looking for a hot and sex filled story. The main characters are interesting, and their story is well done, but I could have done with less sex. Wow, dd I really just say that?  

Book Spotlight: The Shadow of the Revenaunt by Paul E. Horsmon

SYNOPSIS

The night before his Coming-of-Age, Ghyll and his two friends escape their castle on a clandestine boar hunt that will forever change their lives. The hunt proves a disaster, and with one of them badly wounded, they return just in time to see their island castle destroyed by macabre warriors from a dragon boat, and by flocks of fire-breathing birds. Ghyll's eighteenth birthday turns into a nightmare as they flee into the night.

Now begins an epic journey to find out who is trying to kill them – and most importantly, why?

Fortunately, they can count on the help of new friends, including a sometimes overly enthusiastic fire mage, an inexperienced paladin and a young beastmistress who is also a ferocious mountain lioness. It soon becomes clear that not one but several sorcerers want to kill them. Are those blackrobes really followers of a terrible, long-forgotten organization?

SYNOPSIS

And whose cold hand reaches across the boundaries of space and time to crush weakened Rhidauna?

How did his parents and brothers die? Where their deaths really accidents, or were they killed? These questions young Ghyll Hardingraud must answer before he can ascend Rhidauna's throne.

Ghyll’s search for the truth leads him and his Companions on a journey back to the past as he slowly unravels a dark conspiracy.

Once crowned, the young King Ghyll still has to finish the mission his dead uncle imposed on him. The journey takes him and his trusted friends through inhospitable lands and dangerous swamps to the endless steppes of Zihaen, looking for the Voice from the West. He discovers he isn't the only one. His vindictive enemy pursues him, aided by undead forces.

PURCHASE

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The Author

Paul's  Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads 

Paul E. Horsman (1952) is a Dutch and International Fantasy Author. Born in the sleepy garden village of Bussum, The Netherlands, he now lives in Roosendaal, a town on the Dutch-Belgian border.

He has been a soldier, a salesman, a scoutmaster and from 1995 till his school closed in 2012 a teacher of Dutch as a Second Language and Integration to refugees from all over the globe.

Being unemployed and economically overage, yet still some years away from retirement, he is a full-time writer of epic light fantasy adventures. His books are both published in the Netherlands, and internationally.

Book Review: Smoke on the Water by Lori Handeland

Smoke on the Water is the third book in the Sisters of the Craft series by Lori Handeland. I have not read the previous books in the series, and while it might have given me a better grasp of the larger picture, I was still able to enjoy the story and understand what was going on.

Abandoned beneath a black willow tree on the banks of a northern Wisconsin creek, Willow Black spent her entire childhood in foster care. Her entire life she's had terrifying visions, and it is these visions that eventually land her in a psychiatric facility. And so Willow takes her medication and believes she is getting better. Until she meets a fellow patient who doesn't think she is crazy at all. She thinks Willow is a witch. Willow's new psychiatrist, Dr. Sebastian Crane, works hard to resist his feeling that he and Willow are destined to be together while also working to convince her that strange occurrences aren't the result of witchcraft. However, when he is thrown into the middle of a storm of supernatural events that can't be explained any other way they both need to come to turns with their connection and the events surrounding them.

Smoke on the Water is a solid and entertaining read. I think I might have seen more of the action coming, and understood more of the danger Willow and Sebastian faced. However, I still really felt for the characters and enjoyed how they connected with each other. Willow was a smart and introspective character that knew that she experienced visions in water, but knew enough to hide that fact and avoid having it happen as often as possible. Sebastian is equally smart and an interesting character, but I do not feel like I knew him as well as I did Willow, or her fellow patient Mary. Their connection was one they both fought against, and they both held on to common sense the majority of the time, which was nice. I found myself invested in Willow's life and how everything was going to play it. I will say that I expected at least one of the big surprises to happen, but most of the time I was eager to turn the page and see what would happen next.

Smoke on the Water reminds me of why Handeland was one of my must read authors before I started reviewing (and burying myself in books I have committed to reading). The characters just work, and the larger plots as well as the  immediate action are engaging and interesting. I need to go back and read the first two books in the series, since I am not sure how I missed them. A worthwhile read for fans of the urban fantasy and paranormal romance genres. 

Book Review: Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

Please, Mr. Panda is a picturebook about manners by Steve Antony. What is the proper way to ask Mr. Panda for doughnuts? Patiently and politely, Mr. Panda asks the animals he comes across if they would like a doughnut. A penguin, a skunk, and a whale all say yes, but they do not remember to say "please" and "thank you." Is anyone worthy of Mr. Panda's doughnuts?

Please, Mr. Panda is a story that I immediately checked out and brought home to read with my kids after cataloging at the library. I am diligent about using my please's and thank you's, and am teaching my children to be the same way. However, while they are good about doing so with others- they are not so good at doing so with Mom and Dad. Like Mr. Panda, if please is not used then the potential recipient gets a big old 'no' from me, at least until they ask correctly. When I saw a picturebook modeling exactly what I do at home I smiled, and then checked this puppy out. Mr. Panda offers his doughnuts to every one he meets, but when his question is met with greedy answers he changes his mind. It is only when manners are used that he hands over the goodies, and mentions that he does not really like them any way. I love it!

Please, Mr. Panda is a great book for starting discussions about manners, or reinforcing the lessons children of every age have been taught. It is straight forward and fun, with charming illustrations that are simple but bold. 

Book Review: Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich, Phoef Sutton

Wicked Charms is the third book in the Lizzy & Diesel series by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton. Lizzy stumbles upon another trail to a mystical stone, but accident of course. Murdered and mummified more than ninety years ago, bootlegger Collier “Peg Leg” Dazzle once found and re-hid a famous pirate’s treasure, containing the Stone of Avarice, somewhere along the coast of New England. While Lizzy would just like to live a quiet, semi-normal life, Diesel is all about the hunt. And this hunt is going to require a genuine treasure map and a ship worthy of sailing the seven seas, or at least getting them from Salem Harbor to Maine.

Wicked Charms is exactly what I expect from Evanovich. Lizzy and Diesel are on the hunt again, and the sexual tension between them has hit full force- and then some. The usual wacky characters are here, along with some new characters. There is the millionaire that might be the answer to Lizzy's publishing dreams but has his own motives and craves the Stone of Avarice for his own less than sane reasons. There is also an obsessed professor, coroner that has his eye on Lizzy, and a pirate speaking museum employee with an eye on Glo. Mayhem, magic, murder, and Carl the monkey all play their part in the chase for the stone. There is a little less humor in this installment, but an extra helping of both danger and mayhem. Not my favorite from the series, but a great weekend read.

Wicked Charms is a fun, fast read with more perilous situations than the previous books in the series, and a little less humor, in my opinion. however, it still provides what fans of this author and of this series are looking for. It is good entertainment and a solid weekend read. 

Early Book Review: Where do Fairies Go When It Snows by Liza Gardner Walsh, Hazel Mitchell

Where do Fairies Go When It Snows is a picturebook written by Liza Gardner Walsh and illustrated by Hazel Mitchell. It is currently scheduled for release on September 15 2015. This picturebook poses questions that many fairy lovers have had over the years. How do fairies interact with the plants and animals around the world, and what do fairies do during the different seasons, particularly during the winter. The book  uses rhyming question and charming illustrations to explore the idea.

Where do Fairies Go When It Snows is a whimsical, rhyming picturebook that will capture the imaginations of many young readers. Those that already love fairies and/or nature will enjoy, and the question filled minds will read eagerly just to find some answers. The illustrations are cute and charming, pairing pretty perfectly withe the rhymed questions and answers. I really enjoyed the activities and information at the end that encourages children to care for others, like the fairies care for nature, and how to help fairies and their friends weather the winter weather.

Where do Fairies Go When It Snows is a fun and entertaining picturebook that will keep many young readers entertained during multiple re readers. The themes of caring for the world and other living things that is intrinsic to the fairy's lives are great for readers of all ages to take in. While my daughter and I have already put a fairy garden together, however I think reading this will give her new ideas and have us making our backyard even more animal and fairy friendly.

Novels About Curvy Women; Fun Chick Lit and Romance Novels

These days models and actresses seem to be shrinking dramatically. It seems that marketing and the media is convinced that the smaller the dress size the more attractive a woman is. However, several authors out there are not buying it. They are bucking the trend and writing about women of realistic proportions and the issues of size in society. Here are some of my favorite fun reads from several romance sub-genres about women with curves.

The Corset Diaries by Katie MacAlister is a lighthearted romance novel. Tess is in serious need of money so jumps at the chance to be on a reality television show called A Month in the Life of a Victorian Duke. She gets to spend a month living like a duchess. However to take part Tess needs to act and dress like a duchess from the Victorian era, which includes a tight fitting corset. Thankfully, the hunk playing her husband on the reality show is distracting enough to take her mind of her wardrobe issues. A fun and quirky romance by one of my favorite authors, MacAlister comes through for her readers yet again.

Meg Cabot's Size 12 is Not Fat is a fun mystery with a former teen singing sensation at the center. Heather Wells left behind screaming fans and was in turn left behind by a thieving mother and selfish fiancée. To make ends meet Heather becomes a Resident Assistant at a New York City college and doing clerical work for her ex-fiancée's brother Cooper's private detective business for room and board. However, strange things start happening around Heather and so she starts doing a little detective work of her own. This is the first book in an ongoing series.

Gerry Bartlett's Real Vampires Have Curves proves that while vampires might all be attractive and sexy, they are all not super skinny. Gloriana St. Clair was rendered permanently full figured when her Scottish beau turned her vampire centuries ago. Now or curvy heroine is struggling to stand on her own feet after overcoming credit and gambling problems. She starts up a vintage clothing boutique and works to become more independent and find her way through the twists and turns of romantic complications. This is the first book of an ongoing series.

The Perfect Wife by Lynsay Sands is a historical romance set in eleventh century England. Avelyn has more curves than she would like, and has been teased by her cousins about it unmercifully. She feels badly about herself and her size, so tries to hide her true proportions from her new husband. However, her attempts only make him think that she must be frail and prone to accidents, which make him worry and cause many misunderstandings. All the

characters are well fleshed out and entertaining. Surprises and laughs abound in this romance by another of my favorite authors.

Jennifer Cruise's Bet Me is a contemporary romance about Minerva Dobbs who is dumped by her boyfriend three weeks before her sister's wedding. Now she needs to deal with finding a new date on top of her overbearing but well-meaning mother that continually harasses Min about her size. When she overhears her ex-boyfriend make a bet that another man cannot get her home and in bed within a certain period she is beyond mad, but decides to make it work for her. Now she will have a date for the wedding, but can she resist the unexpected temptation she finds in Calvin? Sarcasm and good food abound in this delightful read.

To continue reading novels with pleasing plump heroines I suggest checking out Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones series, Jennifer Weiner's Good in Bed, Leanne Banks' Some Girls Do and Susan Donovan's He Loves Lucy. There are of course several more authors that write books feature larger women, but these are my favorites for how those women look at life, the world and themselves.