Book Review: Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... by Adam Mansbach, Alan Zwiebel

Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... by Adam Mansbach and Alan Zwiebelis is a middle grade novel. This is the start to a most unlikely pen pal relationship between thirteen-year-old Franklin Isaac Saturday (Ike) and Benjamin Franklin. Before the fateful extra credit assignment that started it all, Ike's life was pretty normal. He was avoiding the popularity contests of middle school, crushing hard on Clare Wanzandae and trying not roll his eyes at his stepfather, Dirk-the-Jerk's lame jokes. But all that changes when, in a successful effort to make Claire Wanzandae laugh, Ike mails his homework assignment to Ben Franklin and he writes back. Soon, things go awry. After Ike has an embarrassing moment of epic proportions in front of Claire involving a playground, non-alcoholic beer, and a lot of kettle corn, Ike decides he needs to find a way to win Claire back. With some help from his new friend, B-Fizzle, can Ike get the girl and make his mark in history?

I really wanted to like Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... but I had some serious issues with it. I might be out of touch, but I do not think the middle grade set is sneaking out of the house with stolen alcohol or having parties that include alcohol pilfered from their parent's liquor cabinets and games of spin the bottle. These things are framed in a way that makes them look normal at best, part of the cool kid activities at worst. The book is being marketed for 10 to 14 year olds, and I just do not think that this is quite appropriate. I would not want to even encourage this or normalize it for high school students, who are much more likely to have exposure or heard talk from friends about similar activities.

Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... has some elements that I did like. I liked the idea of mailing a letter with an time appropriate stamp and having that mail reach a person from that time period. I liked that through the majority of the book readers, and the characters, are on the fence about if it is really happening or is someone, somehow is playing an trick. I like that Ike learns that he needs to be himself, and true to himself, in order for the people most important to him to trust him, and want to spend time with him. However, I found the disrespectful tone Ike often used, and the activities I found to be not age appropriate, really ruined the read for me. I think the concept has promise, and could have been done extremely well, but it failed here.  I was further frustrated when I pushed myself to finish the book only to have it end on a cliffhanger. 

I would not recommend Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my. I found it frustrating on several levels, and rather sad because of it. 

Early Book Review: A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford

A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas is the first book in the Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series by Kim Redford. It is currently scheduled for release on October 6 2015. Trey Duvall, a rancher and local firefighter, is out of luck. His ranch has suffered from several 'accidental' fires and there is no explanation in sight. All he wants for the upcoming holiday is to get to the bottom of this mystery, but what he gets instead is hotter than any ranch fire when he meets city-girl Misty Reynolds. Misty is there to investigate the fires as well, but for another party. Neither are looking forward to Christmas, but they just might find some real holiday joy. 

A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas is a fun and suspenseful read. We meet the two main characters in a fast and intense battle against a fire, and readers quickly get to feel like they know them. I really liked the characters, and that they were both very dynamic. Misty has some serious issues surrounding fire and Christmas, so she is struggling from the get go as she comes to a small town to discover who might be setting fires on her client's property. Trey is a victim of the far too frequent fires, and happens to be one of the local volunteer firefighters. He is not only working to protect the safety and property of his neighbors, but his own family's ranch as well. There are several suspicious characters and lots of fun romance to be had. A page turn and great read for a cold autumn or winter night. 

A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas is a highly entertaining read. I found myself invested in both the main characters, as well as the entire town. This was a great first book for a new series and I am looking forward to seeing who is next up to find romance. 

Book Review: The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

The Highwayman is the first book in the Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne. Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred, hard-hearted, Dorian will stop at nothing to wreak vengeance on those who’ve wronged him. The widow Farah Leigh Mackenzie is no exception, and soon Dorian whisks the beautiful lass away to his sanctuary in the wild Highlands. But Farah is no one’s puppet. She possesses a powerful secret, and when being held captive by Dorian proves to be the only way to keep Farah safe from those who would see her dead, Dorian makes Farah a scandalous proposition: marry him for protection in exchange for using her secret to help him exact revenge on his enemies. But what the Blackheart of Ben More never could have imagined is that Farah has terms of her own, igniting a tempestuous desire that consumes them both. Could it be that the woman he captured is the only one who can touch the black heart he’d long thought dead?

The Highwayman begins with Farah as a child in an orphanage, giving the readers a deep look into her personality and first love. Quickly readers see her as an adult, making her own way in the world and quite respectfully. When Dorian and Farah meet it is not under the best of circumstances, and they do not get better for a significant part of the book. This works well because we get to see Farah as an adult, a strong minded and intelligent one to boot. We also get to see glimpses of Dorian and his men, and peeks into the past that have a huge influence on the pair’s present. I really enjoyed the interactions and practicality of both characters. I will say that I though the obvious twist was done in a way that had me doubting my assumptions through our the book, even though I was positive that I was right. The story was very well told, and had me very eager to see what would happen next. While the story concludes with no cliffhangers, and pretty perfectly, the writing style and story have me watching for the next book in the series.

The Highwayman is a solid and entertaining read. I was so involved that I read it very quickly. I wish I could have slowed down and enjoyed it a bit more, but the promise of more to come keeps me happy. The story is not perfect, but its characters are very well done, and I was deeply invested in the story.  

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.