The WM Review Connection

Title: Final Exam
Author: Ann Campbell
Genre: Erotic Romance Fiction
Published: Pink Satin Press
Recommended? Yes


Review: Ann Campbell's Final Exam is only five pdf pages long of text...but WOW, does she make a powerful statement. The last day of college class, one student has the proverbial hots for her professor, whom she believes shares her sexual feelings. Campbell brings to life the school girl fantasy in this short erotic novelette. 


The explosive words and the way Campbell's writing style collide is amazing. Within these five pages of written word, Campbell easily manages to get to the point, state the facts, leaving the reader squirming in his or her seat. Kudos to Campbell for bringing to light the fantasy that so many of us have envisioned. 


For some reason, Final Exam was banned from amazon recently but was brought back. 


Final Exam is available on amazon. 

Review:

Right from the beginning, this book captivated me (from about page 3) – I literally did not want to put it down. The first chapter paints a clear backstory of Grace’s recent past that had me cheering for her before any of the “excitement” even began.

From Chapter 2 on, the book is filled with non-stop, action-filled situations that leave you wondering if Grace will ever have any relief. The book is very fact paced and exciting, even if you are out of the “young adult” stage like I am.

This is Selina Fugate’s first novel and I have to say that she did an exceptional job. She paints vivid characters and a well-defined plot that has you reeling to the very end.

The only thing I did not like about the book, was that it ended. I wanted to know more about Grace’s adventures and whether or not Kracious would ever really get what he deserved. Luckily, I’m told, Selina is working on a sequel! I will definitely be buying book two to follow Grace through more of her adventures.
This book is geared toward young adults, but is a fun read for older paranormal –witch, vampire, humans forced to live in a cat’s body, fairy- lovers.
 
The book can be purchased from Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and the publisher, BlackWyrm Publishing. I highly recommend it!

Review:Stephen is a new college student. He sees Lisa and is drawn to her for reasons other than her beauty. They accidentally bump into each other and Stephen offers his hand to Lisa to help her up. Strange things happen to them both from this point on.

I thought Stephen and Lisa had shades of X-Men qualities and this was a journey trying to figure out their new powers and feelings for each other. I would like to know how they came by these powers. Are they inherited? Maybe it will be explained in the next book.

by Alyssa Ast

Movie: Rango (2011)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: John Logan (screenplay) and John Logan (story)
Stars: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher and Timothy Olyphant
Rating: PG
Run Time: 107 mins
Recommended? No

Review:

In my house, every Friday night is popcorn and movie night with the kids. Rango has been on the list to watch ever since my children saw the first preview. So of course, we rented it for our movie night, with all the kids and even myself excited to see it. But, not even 5 minutes into the movie, I quickly became very disappointed. About 5 minutes into the movie, the first red flag appeared. Rango is in his aquarium sitting next too a headless, naked Barbie torso, when he asks the barbie if her breasts are real. It didn't stop there.

Rango is targeted towards a young audience, yet the movie is filled with cussing (mainly by Jake the Snake), crude and suggestive jokes and behavior. In my opinion, this is definitely not a children's movie. If my children were any older I would have shut the movie off and told them to watch something else. Luckily, they are really young and still clueless to what anything meant.

The story line is cute and the movie is well done; however, because of the language and somewhat vulgar behaviors and language I don't recommend the movie. I would say this movie is for much older children well into their teens. I'm glad we only rented the movie and didn't waste our money buying it because my children certainly won't be watching it again any time soon.

Book Review: A Demon Made Me Do It
(Demon Blood #1)

Author: Penelope King

Publisher: Smashwords

Genre: YA, Fiction, Supernatural

Available: Smashwords
B&N for Nook
Amazon–Kindle and Paperback

Recommended: Yes
Reviewed by: Lena Grey


Disclaimer: This post was originally published on TheWMReviewConnection.com. If found anywhere else, this content is illegally copied and should be reported.

Reviewed By: Sarah Porter-Pennington


Title: The Renegade Writer's Query Letters that Rock

Authors: Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell

Publisher: Marion Street Press

Genre: Non-Fiction/Reference

Recommended: YES

Review:

When you take the plunge into the career of full-time freelance writing, you need to know how to write a query letter. Query letters are your job interview, a cover letter to show potential clients that you have what it takes to publish for their website, magazine, or other print publication. Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell lay everything about query letters out on the line, providing both a Q&A format to answer common questions about creating, sending and following up on query letters. They were also kind enough to include examples of successful query letters with tips from the editors who accepted the queries and the writers who crafted the letters. Whether you have vague experience with query letters or if you have been writing query letters for years, this book will help you hone that area of your craft to assist you in landing more future clients with your queries.

This is a MUST READ for freelance writers!

Title: Enchantment
Author: Charlotte Abel
Genre: Fiction
Published: Kindle Edition
Recommended? Yes


Review: This is a story about a girl named Enchantment,born with the power to enchant people. Her parents want to keep her away from boys but really they want to keep boys away from her. Actually they want to cast a chastity curse on her. Eventually she finds a boy she wants to be close to. Now she has to figure out a way to break the curse.

Some quirkiness is seen in the way Ms. Abel when giving each character a "power-name". I love the way Channie's parents use with their odd wit and the way they think they can keep their daughter 'safe' from boys.

This is a fun and delightful story story with a touch of darkness, lots of humor and fun.Abel weaves a great cast of characters in Enchantment. The dialogue is exceptional and is perfect for the young adult library anywhere. This book is also great for fantasy readers. The young teens can relate to the issues with parents, siblings, and the trials of being a competitive while fantasy readers will love the magic.

Title: Good Little WIves
Author: Abby Drake
Genre: Fiction
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks 
Recommended? Yes

Review: If you're looking for a book with a connection and feel of Desperate Housewives, then Good Little Wives is the perfect read for you.


The story surrounds a group of uppity housewives from New Falls, NY who help an ex-friend (by divorce standards) when she is accused of murdering her recent ex-husband. Kitty Delano claims innocence and it takes the entire clan of wealthy snob friends to help her get through the trial.


Over the course of the novel, secrets are revealed amongst the friends. Dana Fulton, the lead friend in this novel, is unscrupulous in proving Kitty's innocence.


I highly recommend this book. It has well developed characters, a realistic storyline and watching all these women reveal their pasts makes them seem human. Even the rich have problems.




Good Little Wives is available on Amazon.
Buy Link

Recommended: Yes and No


Review: From the back cover: "Becoming a cop changes everything you thought you knew about life. Midnight Sin is an inside look at the dark and mysterious world behind a cop's badge. Rookie cop Gary Hollings quickly learns that wrestling down street thugs and arresting drug dealers while trying to track down a serial rapist is nowhere near as tough as watching his back from fellow cops. He must also fight his inner demons - ones that he never knew he had until he put on that police uniform."

Michael Tabman served as a police officer for 3 years before joining the FBI, so he knows what he is writing about. The reason I am giving a recommendation of "No" is because it started out keeping my interest, but, it became slow shortly into the book. I was also able to figure out what was going on faster than the rookie cop in the story seemed to, and I kept waiting for him to get a clue as to what was going on. When Hollings finally figured out what was going on, he was wishy-washy about what to do with the information. I do realize, that in real life, it would be a hard decision to make.

The book is well written, with good character descriptions and plenty of twists. If the entire book was as fast paced as the last third of the book, I would have liked it better. I gave this book  a "Yes" recommendation, because it's a book many crime enthusiasts would like. I would probably read more by this author.

A word of warning to anyone who might read this: the book contains language many people may find offensive.

Reviewed by: Sarah Porter-Pennington

Product: Garnier Fructis Style Surf Hair

Retail Price: $3.29 - $4.47

Where to Get It: Walmart, Walgreens, Amazon marketplace

Product Description:

· Texturizing paste

· Produces chunky waves that make your hair look as though you have spent a day at the beach.

· Contains fruit micro-waxes that produce a strong hold without leaving behind greasy residues.

Recommended? Yes.

Review:

At birth, I was cursed with frizzy and oily, hard-to-style hair. My teenage years and adulthood have encompassed a journey to find hair products to tame my red and frizzled Carrot Top ‘do without making it limp and lifeless.

Garnier Fructis Style Surf Hair graces my Top 5 list for the best hair products to tame frizzy disasters into sexy messes.

Styling your hair with this product takes under 3 minutes. Simply rub a dime-sized amount of the product onto your palms and fingers, and work into your hair by scrunching the hair and twirling sections of the hair around your fingers.

Fruit micro-waxes produce a strong hold and create a textured style without unsightly frizz. Even better: the fruit waxes do not cause a greasy residue on your hair. I have especially oily hair, and I am able to skip a shampoo when I use this product. The product label doesn’t say this—but from my experience, Garnier Fructis Style Surf Hair protects my hair from the natural oils in my skin to keep my hair looking fresher longer.

I highly recommend this product for women seeking a style with smooth, sexy waves.

by Laura Ast

Beth's website

Reviewed By: Sarah Porter-Pennington

Product: Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush

Retail Price: $8.49

Where to Get It: Tractor Supply Co.

Product Description:

· Removes loose pet hair from pets.

· Reduces pet hair build up on furniture and floors.

· Makes pets coat shiny.

· Self-cleans to reduce grooming time.

Recommended? YES

Review:

I have a medium-haired dog we adopted from the local animal shelter. I spent months sweeping up huge piles of her dog hair every day. I tried pet brushes, but the brushes quickly became covered in hair, debris and pet dander that was nearly impossible to remove completely, and kept the brushes from being as effective as when they were new. I found this brush when browsing our town’s new Tractor Supply Co. with my husband, and purchased it on a whim to see if it would be able to compete with my dog’s epic shedding and thick hair.

I’ve used this brush for approximately a month now, and while there’s still some shedding, it’s nothing like it used to be. I rarely notice the dog hair during daily sweeping and there’s rarely any stuck to my furniture. And the brush even makes Cinnamon’s coat look shinier.

Cleaning the brush after and during use is a breeze. Once you finish brushing, just push the button on the back of the brush head and out pops a matted rectangle of dog hair. The brush stays clean, so you never have to buy another again!

Tips for Use:

Brush your pet outside.

The brush won’t capture all hairs during brushing, so to reduce flyway hairs landing on furniture and flooring, brush your pet in the garage or outdoors to eliminate more hair in your home.

Brush your pet twice per day.

If your pet can tolerate brushing twice per day, this will help to reduce more pet hair in your house. I started out brushing Cinnamon once per day, but I had the best results with her coat and shedding when I started brushing her twice per day. However, some pets may be sensitive to brushing, so only do what’s comfortable for your pet.

Reviewed by Beyond Beautiful Babe

Reviewed by Sarah Porter-Pennington

Product Name: Dragon Dictation (App)

Retail Price: Free

Where to Get It: App Store

Product Description:

• Voice recognition app
• Converts speech to text
• Email transcripts to yourself
• Copy and paste text to create status updates on networking sites

Recommended? YES

Review:

As a stay-at-home freelance writer, I have to manage both my house and my business at the same time. When I find myself stretched for time, with a messy house, guests on the way and several deadlines bearing down on me…that’s when this app is an absolute life saver.

Thanks to this FREE app, I can write the rough draft of an article, review or other writing assignment while I’m washing dishes. Which is what I am doing right now!

The app is a little troublesome to get used to, especially when you have a thick country drawl like I do. But, after a couple of weeks training myself to enunciate properly, I think I’ve almost got the hang of it now.

When you’re done dictating, you can edit the transcript with the on-screen keyboard before sending the text to your email inbox. You can also copy and paste the text to send quick text messages or make updates to your favorite social networking sites.

Reviewed by Alyssa Ast

Title: Ask Me No Questions
Author: Cindie Miller
Genre: Fiction
Published: Publish America 2009
Recommended? Yes

Review:
"I'm an agent for the CIA," Victor Charles Brian tells young Stephani Stevenson. "You'll never have a normal life. You'll have to make many sacrifices. You can never tell anyone the truth. And you can never ask any questions." Stephani accepts these conditions and prepares to live a secret adventure, for that is what she envisions it will be. It is not until years later that she realizes she has been duped: Victor is not an agent for the CIA.

But it is not something she can prove, and Victor will not let her leave. Instead, he threatens to kill her. In the end, Stephani must flee or die in the attempt. It is 1979. There are no women's shelters, no counseling for batterers, no real understanding of what has become known as "domestic violence." When Stephani leaves with her children, she knows she will be running for a long time.
Courtesy of www.cindiemiller.com

I had the pleasure of meeting author Cindie Miller, who informed me her book Ask Me No Questions is actually about her life, despite the fact the book is published as a fiction piece, due to friction with her publisher. This intrigued my interest in the book, and I just had to know why.

This book is about a young girl, an ordinary young girl, who wants what all young girls want-- a perfect husband with the perfect family. It appears she will achieve her dream, but shortly after marriage she quickly realizes, her choice to marry may not have been so wise. She discovers the man she married isn't who he appeared to be, and is in fact, a danger to herself and her children.

As I read this book, for the first few chapters I thought to myself, how can this girl believe her husband is a CIA agent? Why doesn't she just wake up to see she is living a lie? How could she possibly be so blind? But then I thought back to my youth at how naive I was. How I longed for the perfect life with the perfect man, and I now see how it could fully be possible. Youth often blinds us to reality, which I feel happened in the case of Stephani with Victor. Even after she discovers her life was nothing but lies, she still stayed with her husband, despite the cheating, lies and abuse. Some may call her ignorant for staying with the man, but I can see exactly why she did. As a mother, you don't put yourself first. You put your children first. She had to do what she felt was best and safest for her children, despite what she would endure. Plus, youth also allows us to hope for change, hope for better despite knowing better.

I really enjoyed this book. My only disappointment was the fact it had to end. By the time Stephani had made her escape, I couldn't wait to turn the next page to see what happened in the next chapter of her life, but sadly that was it. It's quite a cliff hanger, and I would love to see a sequel to this book. You become so close and connected to Stephani, you just have to know what happened next. You have to know she made it out alright. So, please Cindie Miller, write a sequel! I definitely recommend this book.

Reviewed by Sarah Porter-Pennington

Title: A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead

Author: Ron Leighton

Publisher: Self

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Recommended: Maybe

Review:

I was so relieved when I got to the last page of this book and found out it was part of a larger book.

All through this 21-page e-book, I was wondering if I was missing something—and it turns out I was. I’m missing a whole book’s worth of background information that makes this story relevant.

Don’t get me wrong, the story line of this book sounds great, but there’s so much that left me confused.

The story starts with a one-paragraph scene that could either be a vampire attack or a sex scene. A pointless scene, that it seems was only placed to draw interest and encourage readers to flip to the next page.

Then the story flashes back to a week before, when the main character goes to the market and purchases a cake of incense from a priest of Orotar. (I wish I knew more about what a priest of Orotar is…and maybe what their religion is like? Then the story might make more sense.) The priest says the smoke of the incense will send the dead to peace, which convinces the main character, Nathaiu to buy a cake. Not having enough money, the priest gives the cake to Nathaiu, who intends to use the cake to send his parents’ souls onto peace.

When he returns home to use the incense cake at his evening prayers, per directions of the priest, Nathaiu blacks out. The next day he discovers that the incense has turned him into a vampire.

The story lacks details that could really make this tale interesting, though it does have some really gruesome scenes that are reminiscent of Stephen King and Anne Rice. I’d love to read the full book, just to figure out what’s going on…since this book is only a teaser of what’s to come and leaves out details I’m sure make the story more relevant.