First book review day!

I've decided to lay out a schedule of what I'm going to blog about every day because I like to be organized. I'm not great at it, but life seems to be much easier when I am! As you can tell by the title, I've decided that Tuesday is going to be book review day. As well as having read a jillion books in my lifetime, I have also read a lot of reviews. Generally, I will read a book regardless if 200 people think it's a pile of crap, if I feel drawn to the story. And I usually like it. Does this mean I like to read garbage? No. It just means I look at things very differently than most people do. I also like to think that I still have a tiny slice of that naivete that keeps you from trying to predict how a story unfolds, which keeps the thrill and the excitement of reading the book in the first place. I tend to lose myself in a book, close the back cover and look around at 2 a.m., ready to talk the heck out of the story-only to find everyone has gone to bed and I'm the only crazy awake, feeling sad because my adventure is over. I'm also not the type of reviewer to recap the story because, well, you should read it yourself! So... on to the reviews.

Of course, I'm going to start with the 2 books I've edited. (Duh) I may be partially biased, but I can be fair too.

The first is The Phoenix Project:

This is a great first novel for a break-out author. This one I read as every other reader had, in its raw form, by a tentative and vulnerable new writer. I fell in love with it. To be fair, I am from the area that the book is set in and I think that weighs heavily on my appreciation for it. (So all my locals reading my blog, holla! Go get this at Barnes & Noble or download to your Kindle post haste.) I know that anyone from around here will probably enjoy reading through and picturing the landscapes and situations in their hometown. When you read the story and then drive by the places where some of the things happen, it can even freak you out a little bit! It's an engaging storyline. You can tell that it is someone's first novel as the writing is a little amateur, but I also feel this makes it whimsical and easily relatable. It's easy to follow the story, and the gripping tale far outshines any novice components of the book. 4 Stars!


And the other book is the second in the series, The Reformation (The Phoenix Project: Part 2)

This is the excellent second installment of The Phoenix Project. This is more of a whirlwind adventure and traveling around the United States opens up the thrill of a story set in or near your town to many more readers. For me, as I have said, there were quite a few things I "didn't see coming" because of my dive into the storyline. This time I watched, not quite from its conception-but close, and followed along the journey until it is now a published book. It is a whole different ballgame when you and your author put so much heart and effort into a project. I am slightly more biased to this book as I had much more involvement and put many hours and late nights into it. The strength of the main character is incredible, and she continues to show that bravery and intelligence through this novel as well. The writing is clearly more mature, and the depth of the story shows that this is not her first rodeo. You can see the improvements and growth happen right before your eyes, and from my personal connection to these books, I am very proud of you, M. R. You can download this book or buy it as well. 5 Stars!

I have to add that as I have a bond with this author now, and we have been working on other projects together, please keep watching out for her works. And not just because I'm the editor, but because she has some really amazing and fresh stories coming out. Look for Saratoga coming out this December. You can even get an early copy, meet the author and have her sign it for you at this event. <---(Click here and check it out!)

That's it for today. Tune in for next week's review, it's a sci-fi series that had me glued to my Kindle for a week! Thanks for stopping by!