Friday, March 27, 2015

~Wintergarden by T.M. Wallace~ YA Fantasy Review



Title: Wintergarden
Author: T.M. Wallace
Publisher: Brownridge Publishing
Pages: 220
Genre: YA/Children’s Fantasy
Format: Paperback/Kindle
 
Addyson Marten must travel a magical labyrinth to its center in order to reach her friend Connor and free him from the witch of the Median Realms. Both Connor and Addy must learn to use their own magical abilities to fight the growing evil in the Human and Fairy worlds.
Wintergarden is the sequel to the Award-Winning book “Under a Fairy Moon,” (Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Awards—Fantasy, 2012, Canadian Christian Writing Awards—Young Adult, 2012.)

For More Information

  • Wintergarden is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
My Review:
This is a lovely story that will capture the imaginations of young readers and older readers alike. I was able to read both books for this review, and I have to say that even a 34 year old, like me, will enjoy this fun and imaginative story.

The characters were strong and interesting. The world building was nearly flaw-free, and dynamic. The writing in both stories kept my attention and had me plowing through the story. I swear,  I started reading and didn't want to stop until I had finished!

I thought these books were delightfully fun reads!




About the Author
Theresa Wallace-Pregent lives with her husband and four talented children in Ontario, Canada. Her young adult fantasy novel Under a Fairy Moon was a finalist in the Amazon Break-through Novel Awards in 2010 and was published by Brownridge Publishing in the summer of 2011. In 2012, Under a Fairy Moon won the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award for Fantasy and the Canadian Christian Writing Awards (Young Adult.) Her sequel to Under A Fairy Moon will be published in the Fall of 2014.
Her latest book is the YA/Children’s fantasy, Wintergarden.
For More Information
  • Visit T.M. Wallace’s website.
  • Connect with T.M. Wallace on Twitter.
  • Find out more about T.M. at Goodreads.
  • More books by T.M. Wallace. 

~Three Days to Forever by Lauren Carr~ Mystery Review

Title: Three Days to Forever
Author: Lauren Carr
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Pages: 466
Genre: Mystery
Format: Paperback/Kindle



In this latest Mac Faraday Mystery from best-selling mystery author Lauren Carr, readers will embark on a rollercoaster adventure with old friends (including the Lovers in Crime team of Prosecutor Joshua Thornton and Homicide Detective Cameron Gates), but also meet new ones as Mac Faraday’s daughter Jessica Faraday and Joshua Thornton’s son Murphy Thornton join the team in the race to get the love birds to the altar!

With three days left to the year, Deep Creek Lake is hopping with holiday vacationers and wedding guests pouring into the Spencer Inn for Mac Faraday and Archie Monday’s huge wedding ceremony which is being touted as the social event of the year.

But droopy flowers and guests who failed to RSVP are the least of Mac’s and Archie’s problems when a professional hit squad hits Spencer Manor to send the groom, Joshua Thornton, Archie’s mother, and Gnarly running for their lives.

With time running out to the big day, Mac Faraday and Spencer’s small police force have to sort through the clues to figure out not only who has been targeted for assassination, but also who is determined to stop everything … FOREVER!

“Lauren Carr’s mystery novels are indeed one of my go-tos when I’m looking for a good whodunit.” –Reviewer: Shana Benedict, ABookVacation Book Reviews.

“Lauren Carr does a good job of moving the quirky storyline along nicely with an abundance of witty dialogue.  And you have no idea who the good guys are and who the bad guys are until the end." - Reviewer: Every Free Chance Book Reviews.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
  • Three Days to Forever is available at Amazon.
  • Watch the book trailer at YouTube.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads


 My Review:

Wow! Where have I been that I've never read a book by Lauren Carr before? This is the 9th book in the Mac Faraday mystery series, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Once I found out about the previous 8 books, I freaked out. I was afraid I would be lost in this one, but fortunately I was not. I was very grateful that Ms. Carr included a character list in the front of the book. It definitely was put to good use.

This book is a fast paced thrill ride that really gets under your skin. Mac Faraday is a great character surrounded by (many) great characters. I think that the characters were the strong point for me. I thought each was done so well, even the secondary characters came to life!

The plot took on a few political angles that would usually turn me off, but I think that they were handled well and were interesting. The mystery and drama made me a happy happy gal, so no real complaints here.

Three Days to Forever is a solid, intriguing, entertaining read that will keep you reading well past your bedtime!


 





About the Author
Lauren Carr is the best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Three Days to Forever is the ninth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.

In addition to her series set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder.

Three Days to Forever introduces Lauren Carr’s latest series
detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for the first installment in this series in Spring 2015.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.

She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

For More Information