Jun 15, 2019

Review: The Publicist by Cara Wade

About the Author
Cara Wade
Cara Wade is a daydreamer and a lifelong teenybopper. Boy bands forever! She would love to spend the day in the kitchen baking up sweet treats but hates doing the dishes after. When she is not writing (or suffering writer’s block) you can find her reading, hiking, or relaxing by the water. She lives in northern Massachusetts with her loving husband.

Jun 5, 2019

Review Once Upon A Wedding A Fiction From The Heart Second-Chances Anthology By Jamie Beck, Tracy Brogan, Sonali Dev, K.M. Jackson, Donna Kaufman, Sally KilPatrick, Falguni Kothari, Priscilla Oliveras, Barbara Samuel, Hope Ramsay, Liz Talley


Say I do

Eleven best-selling and award-winning authors request your presence as they share all-new novellas that will have you humming the wedding march and dreaming of champagne toasts. It’s easy to tie the knot with these heartwarming, second-chance love stories.

I Do, Again by Jamie Beck
A makeup artist who is forced to become her bridezilla client’s eleventh-hour bridesmaid is dumbstruck to discover her ex-husband is a groomsman and he wants a second chance.

Weather or Knot by Tracy Brogan
Two meteorologists with a turbulent romantic history join a team of storm chasers and discover that love, like lightning, sometimes strikes twice.

The Runaway Bride by Sonali Dev
A groom has one night to convince his runaway bride that her fears that he's settling for her are anything but true.

Starboard Vow by K.M. Jackson
A cruise director is taken off course when the country’s hottest bachelor – and her secret husband – arrives aboard her ship for a whirlwind cruise.

A Wedding in Swan Harbor by Donna Kauffman
A widowed blueberry farmer is reunited with her late husband’s best friend when he returns to escort her daughter down the aisle.

Jun 2, 2019

Review: Chasing Strength A Harper Family Romance Part 4 By Nancy Stopper

Author Nancy Stopper

Living in beautiful northern Virginia, Nancy dreams of small-town living where the everyone knows everyone else (including their business) and neighbors wave when you pass. Since she doesn’t live in one, she creates them for everyone else to enjoy through her books.

She’s a mom to (almost) 2 college students and 1 middle schooler who has spent more hours at the baseball field and the dance studio than she cares to admit. With her husband, her primary goal is to finish raising her 3 kids into productive adults!
Nancy writes small-town contemporary romance with sexy heroes and strong heroines. Her books tug at your emotional heartstrings and leave you with a warm feeling that lingers long after the last page. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, and Virginia Romance Writers.

Jun 1, 2019

Review: Doctors of Darkness Boxed Set Books 1-3 By Ellery Kane

Author Ellery Kane
#CandidBookReviews
Forensic psychologist by day, novelist by night, Ellery Kane has been writing--professionally and creatively--for as long as she can remember. Just like many of her main characters, Ellery loves to ask why, which is the reason she became a psychologist in the first place. Real life really is stranger than fiction, and Ellery's writing is often inspired by her day job. Evaluating violent criminals and treating trauma victims, she has gained a unique perspective on the past and its indelible influence on the individual. And she's heard her fair share of real life thrillers. An avid short story writer as a teenager, Ellery recently began writing for enjoyment again, and she hasn't stopped since.

May 25, 2019

Review: Chasing My Cure A Doctors Race to Turn Hope into Action By David Fajgenbaum





Author David Fajgenbaum
#NetGalley David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc is one of the youngest individuals to be appointed to the faculty at Penn Medicine. Co-founder and executive director of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network and an NIH-funded physician-scientist, he has dedicated his life to discovering new treatments and cures for deadly disorders like Castleman disease, which he was diagnosed with during medical school. He is in the top 1% youngest grant awardees of an R01, one of the most competitive and sought after grants in all of biomedical research. Dr. Fajgenbaum has been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 healthcare list, as a top healthcare leader by Becker's Hospital Review, and one of the youngest people ever elected as a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the nation's oldest medical society. He was one of three recipients--including Vice President Joe Biden--of a 2016 Atlas Award from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Winner of the Rare Champion of Hope Science award, Dr. Fajgenbaum has been profiled in a cover story by the New York Times as well as profiles by Reader's Digest, Science, and the Today Show. Dr. Fajgenbaum earned his BS from Georgetown University magna cum laude with honors and distinction, MSc from the University of Oxford, MD from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and MBA from The Wharton School. He is a former Division I College Quarterback, state-champion weight lifter, and co-founder of a national grief support network.

May 22, 2019

Review: Love in Chaos by Beth Gildersleeve

Author Beth Gildersleeve

Beth Gildersleeve lives for a happily ever after, especially when it’s part of a contemporary sweet romance story. Beth’s a big fan of Dr. Brené Brown and her work around shame, vulnerability, and bravery. Her characters’ struggles and successes reflect these themes. When Beth isn’t plotting or writing, she’s busy Googling answers to her adult daughters’ questions (they still think she knows everything), finding misplaced items for her husband of almost thirty years, serving her rescued dogs’ needs, losing at Words with Friends, and searching for the last three books to complete her Betty Neels collection. She is a member of RWA and Northern Lights Writers.

May 21, 2019

Review: All Your Buttons by Rene Bouche



Author Rene Bouche

All Your Buttons 
By Rene Bouche 

Review written by 
HeidiLynn's BookReviews

First, I want to thank Rene Bouche for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Rene Bouche’s All Your Button’s will push All Your Buttons until you scream in ecstasy!  Rene is an extremely talented writer. With his vivid imagination, sexual fantasies of her own, and incorporating that into the story line Rene has become my favorite author in this genre. I am not ashamed to say it he had me aroused for most of the book. Not many authors can pull that off.

Review: The Mortuary Arts by John Gregory Hancock

Author John Gregory Hancock




May 15, 2019

Review: Just The Way You Are by Ann Roth


Author Ann Roth

Award-winning author Ann Roth writes small town contemporary romance and women's fiction. She has published over 35 novels, as well as several short stories and novellas, both through New York publishers and independently.

A true believer in love and happy endings, Ann enjoys watching her characters learn and grow as they face challenges and hurdles, and ultimately find love.

Ann has lived in the greater Seattle area since she headed for the University of Washington and fell in love with Seattle... and her future husband. 


May 7, 2019

Review: Abigail's Window By Susan Lynn Solomon



Book Summary

Abigail Bender lost her only love at Gettysburg in 1863. One hundred and fifty years later Kaitlyn Novacs, teetering on the edge of a breakdown after the loss of her one love, encounters Abigail’s spirit in a quaint Canadian inn. There’s a connection between these women, Kaitlyn feels it the first moment she sees the ghost but refuses to admit it. She is forced to accept how closely her fate mirrors the ghost’s when through Abigail’s window she witnesses the ghost’s life and death. Still, there’s a secret Abigail withholds from Kaitlyn. Will discovering that secret come too late to save Kaitlyn from Abigail’s fate? 

May 5, 2019

Review:Just as I am By Mandi Blake






Author Mandi Blake

Apr 20, 2019

Review: This Kind of Silence by Michele Susan Brown

Author Michele Susan Brown

Michele Susan Brown is a writer, author, and speaker based in Northern California, where she lives with her husband, two dogs, cat, and the wild birds that visit her backyard feeders. A former elementary school teacher, principal, and district-level administrator for eighteen years, Michele now spends time following her passions: writing, meditation, exercise, time in nature, swimming with wild dolphins in the Bahamas, and traveling on unique adventures all over the world with her husband, Gordon. Michele enjoys connecting with others and engaging in deep discussions about the importance of listening to our own intuition, being brave and vulnerable, and the freedom found in authenticity and truth. You can connect with her at www.michelesusanbrown.com, and/or write to her at michelebrownauthor@gmail.com

Apr 10, 2019

IndieView Interview with HeidiLynns BookReviews




Thank you to Indie Review for interviewing Me for HeidiLynns BookReviews!   

How did you get started? 
I have always been a very passionate reader. Reading was a way for me to escape my reality. A local author friend of mine thought I would be perfect for reviewing books. I found a great company called Candid Book Reviews that was actively looking for reviewers to join their team. Through Candid Book Reviews they introduced me to many creative and talented authors who I am blessed to still read and review for today.
How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?
Many of the books I read are on my Kindle or hard copies that the authors send me. If it is a Kindle book then I usually use the highlight feature as I go. That makes it easier to go back when you are reviewing it. If it is a hard copy, I make notes as I go.
What are you looking for? 
I am looking to help promote Indie Authors any way that I can by providing them an honest review on multiple social media sites. All I ask in return is for their book (mobi, pdf or hard copy) and their friendship. I pride myself in having a friendship with the authors. We communicate heavily on my HeidiLynn’s BookReviews Facebook page.  I have 2,303 followers made up of authors, personal assistants, book boggers/reviewers, and fans of my reviews.  Along with book reviews on my site I can add book covers, synopsis of the book, buy links, and author bio and pictures. This can also be cross posted to my Facebook page for more viewers to see it.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
If I find the grammar, spelling or formatting of the ebook is off I will let the author know upfront before I post my review. This way if it is a ARC copy they can fix the issue before the book goes live. However, if the formatting and spelling are really bad I will have to bring it up in the review.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
Depending how good the book is I would say 3-4 hours.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system? 
I won’t review anything that is below a 3 star for an author. I don’t think it is fair to the to bash the author on the social media sites. They work hard for their craft. If I feel like I can’t read the book or It does not deserve higher than a 3 star I will contact them. I will let them know my reasoning behind it and obviously apologize.
You will usually get a 5 star from me if you write something close to your heart and it shows in your writing, books that grab your attention from start to finish, and books that leave a permanent etching in your memory.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
Do your homework on the reviewer before messaging them. Make sure they review what genre you write before approaching them. Please introduce yourselves to us reviewers telling us about yourself, your book synopsis, how you learned abut us, etc.
I would say go on Facebook and start a street team of ARC (Advanced Reader Copies) reviewers. Build a relationship with your readers and get to know them. They are your fans and look up to you.
Try going on NetGalley that is an amazing resource for authors and reviewers. I have found some extremely talented authors there.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
Few of my readers have commented on my reviews.  However, I have gotten much more positive feedback from authors thanking me for my review. Many have said I had made their day, that they have cried, that my reviews were very thorough. I have a section on my website of that authors reviewed my service.  This feedback is priceless and is why I love doing what I am doing. Giving back to the authors that let me escape to new worlds without leaving my couch!
My advice to authors on getting a ‘bad’ review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author’s point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to ‘argue’ with the reviewer – would you agree with that?
Yes, I agree with that. The author wants an honest review and I am going to give you what you asked for. I won’t lie in a review.

About Reading

We talk a lot about writing here on the blog, and possibly not enough about reading, which is after all why we’re all here. Why do you think people love reading? We’re seeing lots of statistics that say reading as a pastime is dying – do you think that’s the case?
For me reading is an escape from reality into a new world for a while. I don’t think that is true that reading is dying. Even my young nieces and nephews are always with a book in their hand.

About Writing

We’re told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel; what do you think about that? If a book hasn’t grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?
A really good book would grasp my attention and pull me in by the end of the first page. If it doesn’t capture my interest by the third chapter then we might have a problem.
Is there anything you will not review?
YES. I will not read Paranormal, Sci-Fi Fantasy, MC, Shape-Shifters, Political, Historical, Time Travel
End of Interview:
To see HeidiLynn’s reviews, visit HeidiLynn’s Book Reviews.


Mar 29, 2019

Review Timothy Mean and The Time Machine by William A.E. Ford

Author William A.E. Ford

William has always had a passion for books, writing and story-telling.  William’s favorite way to end a cosy evening is to spend time dreaming up and reading bed-time stories to his five wonderful children.

Just one of his many stories, ‘Timothy Mean and the Time Machine’ was inspired by the spark of his children’s colorful imaginations as they tirelessly created unique, laughter filled days from even the most mundane, everyday objects and situations!

Mar 24, 2019

Review: Mommy Loves the I.T. Guy. Mommy's Little Matchmakers Part 3 By Joanne Dannon



Author Joanne Dannon

Best selling, award-winning Australian author, Joanne Dannon, writes both sweet, and steamy romance. She want to give her readers the experience she loves to savor--indulging in a sigh-worthy-happily-ever-after, being swept away from the everyday by diving into a delicious romance novel.

Joanne is a happily married mother of two heroes-in-training who loves spending time with friends and family. She can be found on Facebook and her website www.joannedannon.com chatting about reading, writing, cooking, vintage-inspired dresses and all things romantic.

Mar 22, 2019

Review: Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry


                                                #Bookouture #NetGalley
Author Lucinda Berry
Dr. Lucinda Berry is a trauma psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. She uses her clinical experience to create disturbing psychological thrillers, blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche. If she’s not chasing after her ten-year-old son, you can find her running through Los Angeles, prepping for her next marathon. She loves hearing from her readers so feel free to drop her a line at hharrison22@gmail.com. Don't forget to sign up for her newsletter.

Mar 19, 2019

Review: Run Away By Harlan Coben




#NetGalley

Summary

A perfect family is shattered in RUN AWAY, the new thriller from the master of domestic suspense, Harlan Coben.

You’ve lost your daughter.


She’s addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be found.


Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park. But she’s not the girl you remember. This woman is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble.


You don’t stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home.


She runs.

Mar 17, 2019

Review: Crazy Hearts: (Hearts So Fine Book 2) By AnnaBeth Saryu






Summary
#CandidBookReviews 

What happens when an unexpected pregnancy puts a secret billionaire and a working-class nurse on a collision course?


Zoe Inglot


You couldn’t pay to date a rich man. Not after my surgeon boyfriend humiliates me in front of...well, everyone. I didn’t gut it out in nursing school to settle like my single mom did.
A one-night stand doesn’t fit into my life plan, either. Until it happens. Mike was just being nice. But one drink turned into two, then three...then a morning after walk of shame I won’t repeat. Ever.

‘Lucky’ Mike Daughtry

Why am I an MMA fighter? Win or lose, it’s all on you. Zoe’s on the rebound,but one taste of those cherry-red lips and I do something I know I’ll regret. I lie. About everything. My car, the family business... especially my bank accounts.
It’s not hard to convince her to come with me on an exotic beach vacation-- no pressure, letting her lead as far as she wants to go. But after spending the week naked and horizontal, she discovers who I am. And taps out.
Except one little souvenir ties us together, win or lose. I just hope my lie of omission doesn’t TKO our chance for a future.

Review: Love and Espresso: A Valentine's Day Romance

Love and Espresso: A Valentine's Day Romance Love and Espresso: A Valentine's Day Romance by Melodie March
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
#CandidBookReviews
First, I would like to thank Melodie March for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Melodie March instantly piqued my interest with her latest novel titled Love and Expresso. Who doesn’t love coffee and a good love story?! This is the third book in the Wintervale Promises Series. However, If you had not read the other books in the series no problem. You can read this as a standalone as I did. It was easy to follow the storyline and the characters.

Kudos to the Graphic Designer who did the cover of this book as they captured the essence of the book I got the sensation I was looking at Tate and Molly in Wintervale.

I had to smile when I saw the character’s name Brady in the book. Brady is the name of my nephew and it is rare you see that name used in a book.

Not to mention the name of the coffee shop Bean There, Done had me smiling from ear to ear. Such creativity Melodie March has.

As I was reading this book I kept thinking this would be so perfect for a Hallmark Channel Movie right around Valentine’s Day. This is such a sweet story set in a cute little town of Wintervale.

The character Tate lives in New York (as I live In Buffalo, NY) and we are used to bad snowy winters. We may not like it but we deal with it. So, when he goes to Wintervale in February it is comical to me when the towns people comment that NOBODY comes here in bad winter weather.

Melodie gave her readers two special treats at the end of her book. She gave us two recipe’s that she talked about in the book. The first one was the Hot Cocoa Recipe and the second one was Molly’s Homemade Coffee Cake.


View all my reviews

Feb 25, 2019

Review: Only Daughter By Sarah A. Denzil

#Bookouture #NetGalley
Buy Links
Book Summary
Your daughter is dead.’

When Kat Cavanaugh hears the words every mother dreads, her perfect world shatters. She takes in the beautiful long blonde hair, torn yellow dress and chipped blue nail-varnish. It can’t be real.

And then the police add the word ‘suicide’. But Kat refuses to believe them. 

Even when they show her the familiar looping handwriting and smudged ink on the note her little girl left behind. She knows her bubbly, vivacious daughter would never take her own life.

As she searches Grace’s perfume-scented room, filled with smiling photos, she uncovers secrets her daughter had been hiding. Secrets that make her wonder how well she really knew the woman her only child was becoming.

Kat’s determined to find out what really happened to Grace on the night she died, even if it means facing her own troubled past. But as she gets closer to the terrible truth, Kat finds herself faced with an unthinkable question: there was no way she could have protected Grace – or was there?

Author Sarah A. Denzil



























Only Daughter


By Sarah A. Denzil

Review written by HeidiLynn's BookReviews

First, I want to thank Sarah A. Denzil, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you with this review.

Only Daughter by Sarah A. Denzil is an extremely gripping and emotional Psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist. Words can’t describe what an incredible Psychological Thriller writer Sarah A. Denzil is. Her prologue alone blew me away with Grace’s extreme details and descriptions of how she is laying there in the middle of nowhere left for dead and dying! Not to mention the remorse of how everything she felt was wrong. It was the best prologue I had ever read before in this genre! After reading that prologue, I needed to know what happened to Grace and I would not put my book down til I found out what happened to her.

Kudos to the cover graphic artist who did the cover for this book. I thought it was beautiful and really liked the heart charm necklace and the blue backdrop. However, there was no significance to the heart necklace mentioned in the story to tie in with the cover. I would have liked to seen that pay a part of it.

This book does cover some difficult subjects that may be triggers for some readers. Those topics include: Suicide, cyber bullying, drug abuse, inappropriate teacher/student relationship, teenage pregnancy, infidelity, etc.

This is one book that must be made into a NetFlix original!! It has so many great aspects to be a big smash hit on so many levels!





Feb 24, 2019

Review:Because You're Mine By Rea Frey

#NetGalley
Buy Links



Book Summary 

But it’s the lies that keep you safe.

Single mother Lee has the daily routine down to a science: shower in six minutes. Cut food into perfect squares. Never leave her on-the-spectrum son Mason in someone else’s care. She’ll do anything--anything--to keep his carefully constructed world from falling apart. Do anything to keep him safe.

But when her best friend Grace convinces her she needs a small break from motherhood to recharge her batteries, Lee gives in to a weekend trip. Surely a long weekend away from home won’t hurt?

Noah, Mason’s handsome, bright, charismatic tutor--the first man in ages Lee’s even noticed--is more than happy to stay with him.


Forty-eight hours later, someone is dead.

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