Romance Junkies Reviews "Liberal Lover"

Title: Confessions of a Liberal Lover

Author: E.M. Muller
Author's Website: http://emmuller.com/
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Mainstream Fiction: Contemporary, Chick Lit, Comedy

Reviewed by Pamela Denise for Romance Junkies 


Rating: Blue Ribbon Rating 4.5 out of 5

Always considered a smart but headstrong child, Maud couldn’t quite fit into her sister’s perfect shoes or get passed the strain in the relationship with her father. At the age of six, Maud win’s a small gargoyle at a church fair that will become her sole confidante. At the age of thirteen her discovery of historical romance novels roots the foundation on her hunt for love. Where, just like in one of her novels, she is determined to find the handsome, virile man who she is to find everlasting love with. During her junior year of high school, her small gargoyle speaks to her for the first time after the end of a date with a groping senior. This cements him as her voice of reason when it comes to dating, sex and the men in her life.
At nineteen, Maud, in a show of independence, moves in with a co-worker from her job at the health company, thus beginning her step into adulthood. She manages to settle down, finish college and snag a top career as a consultant. Along the way she meets several potential “the ones”. Her lovers range from college pre-med prep, country charmer, handsome attorney, to golden boy from the past. Yet Maud slowly realizes she is losing herself in her efforts to conform to their lifestyles. Tired of her search, Maud decides to put the breaks down for a while when it comes to finding Mr. Right. Even as her baby meter is ticking, she studiously focuses on career and self improvement. Then, as if by magic, a man who might just be her prince charming shows up in her life even if he isn’t exactly like the leading hero from her novels.

Confessions of a Liberal Lover is a poignant story of a woman searching for the virile handsome man of her own just like in the historical romance novels she came across as a teen. E.M. Muller does a wonderful job bringing her lead character to life. I began reading with peaked interest at the storyline and soon found myself drawn in. It felt like reading a personal journal of a good friend who'd laid herself on the line. The addition of Maud's unique conscience - the little gargoyle she took home as a child - made the story all the more memorable. The road to “the one” is much more than a series of fluffy interludes. It happens to pick up on some life lessons including personal growth, self acceptance, and that the image of a true prince may not always be quite what’s depicted in novels. This was one of the best chick lits I've read in a while. I think every woman could use a little gargoyle on her dresser now and then.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Novelist Reviews Action/Adventure Novel

Title : 'Come Here...and I'll Show You'
Author : Derek Lantin
Author's website : http://dereklantin.booksabuzz.com/
Category : Action adventure
ISBN : 978616-2220494
Reviewed by James Reasoner
Review issued at : ‘Rough Edges’ James Reasoner Blogspot


Okay, you’ve got a tough, wise-cracking American who’s a former Special Forces soldier and mercenary who is now partners in a bar in Bangkok but still does the odd, dangerous job on the side if the pay is right. Throw in a beautiful and seductive young woman who may or may not be who and what she claims to be, assorted gangsters, a Cambodian warlord, some missing documents that are very important, and a fortune in money that may be counterfeit, and what do you have? A Fifties Gold Medal by Dan Cushman or A.S. Fleischman, right?
Well, no. What you have is COME HERE . . . I’LL SHOW YOU, a new novel by Derek Lantin published by Bangkok Books. It’s set in contemporary Southeast Asia, an area that Lantin obviously knows well because the local color in this novel is outstanding. The plot, as you can tell from the details mentioned above, is vintage hardboiled paperback original, and Lantin does a fine job of making sure most of the characters have secrets that are revealed in the course of the story, as our hardboiled hero/narrator Edwards is hired by the beautiful Daniella to recover some important papers that her father had with him when he was killed in the jungle some years earlier. There’s a connection between Edwards and Daniella’s father, too, just to make things more complicated.
Lantin, a former RAF pilot and an engineer who’s worked all over the world, writes in a very distinctive, ultra-hardboiled style reminiscent of James Hadley Chase and the other British authors who wrote American-set “gangster” stories during the late Forties and Fifties. It’s a little hard to get used to and I think he may have overdone it a bit, but once I got into the story I found it pretty effective. I’ve said many times before that I like a book with a distinctive voice, and COME HERE . . . I’LL SHOW YOU certainly has that. I also thought the ending could have used a little more action and drama, but you know me and my fondness for slam-bang endings. Lantin does spring a last-minute surprise that I didn’t see coming, which is always a plus where I’m concerned.

Overall, COME HERE . . . I’LL SHOW YOU is an entertaining book, and since it’s Lantin’s first novel, it bodes well for his future as a writer. It’s available as an e-book from Amazon or through the publisher’s website.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

"Cenacolo" Means Refectory and Suspense

Title: Cenacolo Author: Joseph Orbi
Category: Historical fiction
ISBN-13: 978-0966161984



Reviewed by Cedrick Demus



Browsing through a bookstore, one finds hundreds of books that have “da Vinci” in the title. Most of these books deal in one way or another with the creative legacy of the so-called “great Leonardo.” You even find cooking books that detail recipes by Leonardo da Vinci, including some with meat, surprising because, according to most everything written about da Vinci, he was vegetarian.

And so I confess that I stayed away from any “da Vinci” title for years, especially after the “Code” which was all fiction and had very little to do with Leonardo. Such was my dislike for anything to do with da Vinci that I hesitated for weeks reading a book given to me by a friend entitled Cenacolo, written by Joseph Orbi. Big mistake.

“Cenacolo” means a refectory, or, dining-hall, the main setting for this terrific suspense historical fiction novel about Leonardo da Vinci at the time he was living in Milan. It is also a generic term for “the Last Supper,” the famous da Vinci mural at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan.
Cenacolo is historical/fiction at its best, a brilliant, masterful blend (history being about 85% of its content) and reflects in every way the 30 years Mr. Orbi spent researching Leonardo. It gives the reader a fabulous account of everyday life in Italy at the time, and a good idea what the real Leonardo da Vinci was like; very little like he’s described in biographies and history books. In fact, in the novel the “great” Leonardo has only three things in mind – which I will not mention here – and let’s just say none of them had to do with the brush.

One of the amazing features of Cenacolo is that unless you are a historian you will, most likely, be unable to tell where history ends and fiction begins.


The novel, published by I. O. Twomey, Ltd., runs 238 pages and is not about how da Vinci created the “Supper” (although the author gives the reader a very good idea what went wrong), but how things can get very complicated and dangerous regardless of good intentions. The book also includes drawings by the famous artist and one by his “student,” a boy Leonardo called Salai (according to the publisher, some of the drawings were retouched for dramatic effect).


The back cover mentions that... “the main characters are some of the giants of the Renaissance; Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan; and Çesare Borgia. Orbi depicts them “not like the mythical figures they became, but as they were, men driven by passion; working, loving, striving and simply trying to survive...”


Like a great orchestra conductor, Joseph Orbi directs the action of the novel and allows for events to provoke the imagination. One chapter leads to another with increasing suspense and you may spend a few sleepless night because there is a good chance you won’t put the book down until you find out how Leonardo “gets even,” and that doesn’t happen until the word just before “The end.”

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Mayra Calvani Fiddles Her Way to Another Hit

Frederico, the Mouse Violinist
Author: Mayra Calvani
Illustrator: K.C. Snider
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/
Hardcover: 978-1-61633-113-9
Paperback: 987-1-61633-11
EBook 13: 978-61633-125-2
Copyright 2010
Picture Book: 26 pages




Frederico, the Mouse Violinist is an absolutely wonderful children’s picture book. Through a delightful story, the author teaches about the world’s most famous violin maker, Antonio Stradivari, along with various parts of the violin.

But, what has a mouse to do with Stradivari and violins? Well, Calvani cleverly weaved a story that has Frederico living in the home where Stradivari creates his masterpieces.

Loving the violin, the mouse wished he could play. At night while the master slept, Frederico would play among the violins and move the bow across the strings, making sweet sounds. Hearing the music and seeing Frederico’s appreciation for the violin, Stradivari created a special tiny violin for the mouse.

Adding dimension to the story are full-page illustrations that are vibrant and fanciful, making Frederico, the Mouse Violinist an engaging, kids-will-love-it picture book. The book also provides information on Stradivari; a glossary for words related to the violin, such as bridge, peg, and scroll; and two activity pages. It is an enjoyable and fun tool that parents and teachers can use to introduce the violin to young children.
I happen to love the sound of the violin, cello, and other stringed instruments. My appreciation for music came from my musical family, as well as school music education programs. In 7th and 8th grades my school offered violin instruction which I happily accepted.
Research from the 1950s through to today, demonstrates the benefits music has for children and even societies. Here are some of the benefits children can reap from music education:

~Increases memorization capacity
~Improves reasoning capacity and comprehension
~Helps children learn and/or improve time management and organizational skills
~Helps develop team skills, as well as math skills
~Helps improve coordination and concentration
~Is a universal language and encourages self-expression

Aside from the above mentioned benefits, you never know what will spark a child’s appreciation and love for music, it could be hearing a song, seeing musicians play, or learning about various instruments and their creation.

About the reviewer:
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, and freelance writer. For writing and marketing information visit KarenCioffi.com, and sign up for her free newsletter: A Writer’s World. You’ll get 2 free e-books on writing and marketing in the process, and two more free e-books just for stopping by


About the author:
Award-winning author Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. In addition, she is co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine and a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books, Blogcritics Magazine's Kiddie Corner, and SimplyCharly.com. She's had over 300 reviews, interviews, stories, and articles published in print and online. Mayra is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Children's Writer's Coaching Club. Visit her website at http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.com/ .








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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Christian Book Marketing Reviews Theology 101

Title: Theology 101 In Bite-Size Pieces; A Bird's Eye View of the Riches of Divine Grace
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction
Author: Judy Azar LeBlanc http://www.manyfacestomayplaces.com/
ISBN: 978-1449707064



Reviewed by: Brenda of http://www.christian-book-marketing.com/  

9.2 stars on a scale of 10.0 stars

Theology 101 In Bite-Size Pieces is sweet to the taste and food for the soul. Beautifully written, Award winning author Judy Azar LeBlanc explains both the simplicity and the depths of the riches of God's Divine Grace through the application of the wisdom and life changing truth of the Word of God. The author speaks of and teaches of the basic, yet profound kingdom truths and principles of receiving and entering into God's wonderful grace through the finished work of the Cross. The author also opens the doors to a much deeper knowledge and in-depth understanding of the graces and riches in Christ that are available to every believer.
Each chapter reveals the foundational truths of the divine riches available to those who accept the free gift of salvation with an in-depth revelation of what the finished work of the Cross provides.

Through careful research of the Greek and Hebrew root meaning, the author, unveils the true meaning of the reality of divine grace, foreknown, predestined, called, chosen, redemption, reconciliation, forgiveness, to be freed from the law, saved by grace and the importance of justification.


The author continues to reveal the profound importance and truths of divine inheritance and what it means to be a heavenly citizen, to be adopted, delivered from the powers of darkness, while displaying the true belonging and security there is to be found in Christ.


Like unwrapping a gift, this book, unravels the mystery of the word "theology" by the practical application of every day language. The author provides the reader with a deeper knowledge and appreciation for God, the character of God, His nature and just how profound His love is for us all.


Theology 101 In Bite-Size Pieces provides an excellent foundation for teaching, bible studies, encouraging others and as a personal look into the depths and truths of the wonderful grace of God.


This book is highly recommended not just as a excellent read, but also as a life changing teaching that can help put a reader on the path to a much more intimate understanding and relationship with God through the understanding and revelation of His Word.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Emerging Author Presents Two Faces, Voices to the Young Readers

When She Sleeps

By Leora Krygier
Author’s Site: http://www.leorakrygier.com/
Genre: Young Adults


Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of This Is The Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered
 
When She Sleeps. A new voice for young adults. Another winner for Leora Krygier.

Krygier weaves the enchanted world of Vietnam and the asphalt streets and privileged hillside homes of LA into an intricate story. When She Sleeps is as much about language and how we are shaped by it as it is about two girls in different parts of the world who are attached genetically to one another but who have no knowledge of the other’s existence. Out of neglect and destitution, the child of war-stricken Saigon takes to living her Vietnamese mother’s life through the fragile woman’s dreams; the American daughter of a doctor in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley finds little sleep and when she does, it is troubled.
Two stories are told with distinctive voices that somehow are entwined. Their real lives throb with vibrant sights, sounds and smells while their dream sequences feel much like a song that was sung in the past and remains with us as we walk our every day lives. The reader comes to understand the emotional needs that draw the two to one another; the sisters are like two parts of a Miz Pah coin, each worn as a charm by strangers a half globe away. Inevitably the jagged edges begin to fit and the mystery of their lives is revealed.
Krygier has woven a kind of magical realism that fits this literary category and, at once, is uniquely her own. Publishers often become jaded, believing that there nothing new is offered to them; some don’t recognize it when it comes to sit in their laps. This press deserves much credit for taking a chance on a story entirely its own, on a book--from the story line to the melody--consuming and beautiful.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You
[Kindle Edition]

By Yvonne Perry
Foreword by Caron Goode 
 Kindle Price: $9.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Ahhh, yin and yang. My mother thinks I'm stubborn. I'm pretty sure she didn't mean it as a compliment. A boss of mine once said I was persistant and I'm pretty sure she meant it as a compliment.

Having empathy is a Janus-faced thing, too. I always preferred friends who had empathy and it never occurred to me that, uncontrolled, it could be a curse. I also had no idea they were called "empaths." I knew a bit about "detachment," too. Mostly from studies in psychology. I knew that often people assign yin and yangs to that concept, too. Most find it kind of distasteful. You know, unfeeling. Only a few know of its healing powers, both for the person who practices it and the person it's "practiced" on.

As you can tell, Yvonne Perry's Whose Stuff Is This? really got me thinking. Once I had determined that I am not am empath--or at least not much of one--I thought it an interesting book but not really for me. I was wrong. I learned much from it.  I learned about my own belief system. I was comforted that many of the life-skills I use are not only accepted, they're essential. But mostly I was inspired. Yvonne's story is wrenching. The courage it took to share that story to help others was awe inspiring. Anyone who is suffering from depression, fatigue, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, anxiety attacks, hypothyroidism and more and can't seem to heal should read this book.



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 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :