Her Seduction by Felix Alexander

Fiction, Short Story

This is closer to the length of a novella or a short story than a book, it took me about ninety minutes to read the entire thing, hence posting this review for Short Story Saturday. Much like the review from last Saturday, I also found this Voracious download to be a disappointment. You can find the author on Amazon if you are interested, and you can get his stories on Kindle. I, however, would not be tempted to make the purchase of any of his stories after having read this one. 

After I finished this story and started doing my research for the blog, I found out that this novella is book three in a four part collection. I do not believe any of the stories have anything to do with each other, so you can start with any one and go from there if you so choose. Moving away from that, my first problem with this novella was that the story was kind of spoiled in the first few pages. It started off with the female and male characters reminiscing on where they were before they met each other, and then went to the present in which they state what happened after they began their affair. So the introduction skips over the entire bulk of the plot in which they meet each other, seduce and get seduced, and pursue a casual but intense relationship, while shoving the end of the tale right into your face. It’s like, what is the point of even reading the story if the author is giving you the end at the very beginning. 

Secondly, I had a real problem with the tense in this story, it was kind of all over the place. Some parts were written in present tense, some in past tense, and it didn’t flow well. I think I am remembering this correctly from way back in my elementary and middle school days, but when you are writing a story it is very important to keep everything in the correct tense. Others may not notice it, but I absolutely did. I am not sure if this is because I read a lot or because I am just a stickler for the rules or writing, but it was glaringly obvious to me that the tenses were not what they should be. I am not saying that my writing is perfect, although I do try to keep everything I compose in the correct tense and have a nice flow, but I am saying that I expect more from a professional writer regardless of whether or not they have professional editors assisting them. There are plenty of programs out there that can help a writer with these sorts of things and they should be implemented. 

So those two things really bothered me. It took away from my ability to try and enjoy the story. It was ok as far as spice goes, there were some decent scenes. I wouldn’t read it again, but I can see it as something moms with exhausting children and a disappointing husband mighty enjoy. That is probably one of the most brutal things I have ever written here but I am not going to feel sorry about it. I am actually holding back my laughter as I write this. It feels good to be a little evil sometimes. 

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Any Easy Intimacy: AEIOU by Jeffrey Brown

Nonfiction

This might be the first comic book or graphic novel I’ve done a review on. I don’t remember when I first discovered Jeffrey Brown, but his little stories give me the greatest nostalgia for my youth. Every time I read one of his books I am taken back to when I was in my late teens and early twenties. His stories are cute, but also sad. I see a lot of similarities between some of the relationships he has had and some that I have been in. These books make me smile and sigh. 

I love that he is a published author and an artist but his art is simple, almost childish. I don’t know if he does it on purpose or if that is truly the way he draws, but his imperfect style makes the story more relatable. Here you see a man struggling through a relationship, and the sloppy linework makes anyone without a trace of artist talent feel almost comforted through the imperfections. This is very short, I read the entirety of it during one of my lunch breaks. However, it is something that I would read again and I will be keeping this adorable pocket sized book. I need to find the rest of my collection and add to it, there will always be a time and place in my life for these stories.

Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin

Fiction

I first read the A Song of Ice and Fire series a few years before Game of Thrones was adapted for the screen. It was an exciting time, nothing gets me more pumped up than when I hear that a book I love is going to be turned into a movie or a show. And for the first five seasons, Game of Thrones more than delivered everything a reader would have wanted. The show stuck to the plot of the books very well, the chosen actors suited their roles and played the characters admirably, and the special effects were excellent. But once the show started to go further than what we readers currently had available to us I started to experience feelings of trepidation and happy thrills. It gave me joyful shivers as I watched the show with my friends that did not read the books, knowing what was going to happen and waiting to see their shocked faces when things went bad or took unexpected turns in the plot. It was equally amusing to turn towards my one friend who did read and give them a knowing smirk. When the screen went further than the page, I became one of the non readers, doomed to be surprised with every minute. I was looking forward to being surprised, but also disappointed that Mr. Martin was lagging behind with getting his story on the page. I won’t go into what we all know happened towards the end, that being one of the greatest disappointments in show history. I will only say that I wished for better for certain characters, namely Jon Snow. 

I miss those days. I don’t know if there will ever be a cinematic event like that again in my lifetime. I keep looking for the next best thing. The closest I have come to that is having recently picked up Fire and Blood, which dictates the Targaryen rule in Westeros. It begins with a short history of the first Targaryens who lived on Dragonstone, of whom were there a few centuries before the conquest, and it starts to get detailed after the birth of Aegon the conqueror and his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys. The three dragons were born to their parents Aerion and Valeria Velaryon on Dragonstone, and due to Valyrian customs, Aegon married his older sister Visenya, but even stranger, he also married his younger sister Rhaenys. Due to endless squabbles between the seven kings of Westeros, and an offensive offer made by one king to Aegon, he decided that the best course of action would be to eliminate the seven kings and have a single king to rule over the seven territories. The kings would become lords, still ruling over their individual territories, but answering to a single king. Aegon also decided that the king would be himself. And that is how Targaryen rule began. 

That is all I am going to give you here. The end of this book ends with the individual that came out as victor at the end of the Dance of Dragons, the Targaryen civil war. I won’t say who wins and who ends up as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, you will either need to read this hefty volume or watch Fire and Blood on HBO. I don’t think the end of the Dance will happen this season, I think there will be a third season and possibly a fourth if they drag it out. So if you really want to know what happens you can either be incredibly patient or read this very detailed history. I will say, I am not satisfied with the end, only because I wanted more. I wanted to know everything that occurred from the end of the Dance all the way to the Mad King. There are about one hundred thirty years between the end of the history as detailed in Fire and Blood and the end of the reign of the Mad King. The only thing you get is a family tree and a chronological succession at the very end of the book. There are two more books that I think may give me what I am looking for, those being The World of Ice and Fire and The Rise of the Dragon. Let me see how long I can hold out until I need to get both of those. 

A Rose in Winter by Willow Callaway and Penny Kate

Short Story

I’ve been reading a lot lately, a lot more than I usually do. It’s considerably a lot more than I imagine I should be reading when I consider how full my days are with work, taking care of a pet, trying to put time in at the gym, and all the other responsibilities in my life. And since my computer is full of a backlog of book reviews, I have decided to add a new themed post to my blog. On top of occasional Bonus Post Fridays, I will now occasionally have Short Story Saturdays. Why the addition? Well, with the very little free time I have, I thought it would be a great idea to join a site in which I could read novels and short stories by aspiring and small authors for free. At voraciousreadersonly.com I did just that, by putting in my personal information and then ticking the boxes regarding my reading preferences within the various genres. Soon after I was bombarded with emails, and I say this with the most positive emphasis. Each email I got came with cover art and a brief description of the book, along with a few one line reviews and novels that have a similar feel. When you see a book that looks interesting to you, just click the link in the email in order to be put on a list to receive a pdf. The wait for me, so far, has never been very long. I have been receiving emails with the downloadable pdfs within hours of clicking the link.

The first book I decided to read from the already substantial list I had created for myself was titled A Rose in Winter by Willow Callaway and Penny Kate. It is the first book in a two book series of fairy tale reimaginings in which the female main characters find their love interest through arranged marriages, at least that is what I make out of the ‘mail order mountain bride’ series description. The pdf I read was one hundred seventy two pages, generously spaced and with a large font, which took me less than two hours to read. Which is why I am considering it a short story rather than a book. The kindle version is listed as being one hundred twenty five pages, and if you want to support a small writer you can buy it for less than three dollars. But, if you don’t have a kindle, or if you just prefer physical books, the paperback can run you anywhere from eight to thirty six dollars on Amazon. Myself being a person who prefers physical books and does not own a digital reading device, I will say to you that the paperback is not worth that much! If you really want to read this, and after my review you may not, then I highly suggest that you sign up to be a Voracious reader and get a free copy. 

I think I would have genuinely enjoyed this book when I was in middle school. It is written in a very innocent, not yet tainted by the world, or puberty, kind of way. The female lead, Rose, and the male main character, Warren, develop feelings and fall in love very quickly. I was annoyed when Rose declared to herself that she was in love with Warren mere sentences after she said how disappointed she was with how he is in real life when compared to his letters, and how irritating she finds him. The feelings of dislike to that of a ‘fluttery feeling’ happens much too quickly. I would suggest this book as an introduction into the romance genre for a young reader. There is absolutely no spice, just a few chaste kisses, and they get married at the end. I would say that this is the perfect book for a young person who is a fan of fairy tales. I would even say that this might be a good read for an adult who likes sweet stories that stay away from the more raunchy books that are very popular at the moment. I myself found it much too innocent for my tastes, but I can see where it potentially might find a following. For that reason, I will not be reading the second book in this series or any of the other books written by these authors as they seem to flow in the same vein. I am hopeful that I will enjoy my next voracious read much more than this one.

To read for free, sign up here to have a chance at getting a downloadable copy: voraciousreadersonly.com

And since I don’t have a copy of this book, here is a picture of a nice flower I saw when I was walking through a public garden.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

Fiction

I had a really great time with this book. Until the very end I could not tell if what was going on in the village was real or a paranormal incident. I won’t spoil anything for you, I’ll just give a little background on the plot. 

Alice is an aspiring filmmaker, and by aspiring I mean that she went to school for it and has had no success or real life experience in the field yet. Everyone she had classes with seems to be doing well and having success in their careers, yet she can’t seem to land a job. Filming a documentary about an abandoned village in Sweden has been something she has been dreaming of doing her entire life, and she finally has gotten enough money, volunteers, and resources together to begin the project. She’s done the research, rented all the necessary equipment, and sourced together a few good friends to help her scout out the area and take preliminary photos and videos. It seems that she has done all the necessary prep work to make the project go smoothly, including intense research of the area and sourcing former residents of the village to interview. But once she and her crew are in the village all the research in the world has not prepared her for when things start to go wrong almost immediately. 

The back cover has it right, it does feel like you are reading a book that would be akin to the Blair Witch Project. It’s a little spooky, mysterious, and has psychological elements. I also really enjoyed reading a thriller that took place in Sweden. I love the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, and while this book was nothing like those books it for some reason made me want to go back and read the whole series again. It also made me want to read another book by this author, titled The Resting Place. So if you decide to read The Lost Village and enjoy it, maybe you will also be interested in another work by the author. If you get to it before I do, let me know what you think!