The Whitman’s Sampler of Book Reviews Part One

Posted on March 14, 2018 by

56 Comments

Rcdg5BLgiHello there guys! As some may know I have dealt with some stupid electrical and technical difficulties, well I am really behind on reviews and I want to catch up on some book reviews! This way you get an assortment of reviews and I get to catch up! Win-Win!!! It’s like when you receive an Whitman’s Sampler on the holidays or you go to the mall and there is always those trusty free samples! Who doesn’t like those array of free samples? You can get your kung pao chicken and a bite of an Italian sub in one trip! See now that I have your attention and made you hungry we are able to start these shenanigans, Dani-style! Woot!

 

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cover124064-mediumThree generations of Irish nobles face their family secrets in this spellbinding novel from the award-winning author of the Boleyn King trilogy.

The Gallagher family has called Deeprath Castle home for seven hundred years. Nestled in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, the estate is now slated to become a public trust, and book lover and scholar Carragh Ryan is hired to take inventory of its historic library. But after meeting Aidan, the current Viscount Gallagher, and his enigmatic family, Carragh knows that her task will be more challenging than she’d thought.

Two decades before, Aidan’s parents died violently at Deeprath. The case, which was never closed, has recently been taken up by a new detective determined to find the truth. The couple’s unusual deaths harken back a century, when twenty-three-year-old Lady Jenny Gallagher also died at Deeprath under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind an infant son and her husband, a renowned writer who never published again. These incidents only fueled fantastical theories about the Darkling Bride, a local legend of a sultry and dangerous woman from long ago whose wrath continues to haunt the castle.

The past catches up to the present, and odd clues in the house soon have Carragh wondering if there are unseen forces stalking the Gallagher family. As secrets emerge from the shadows and Carragh gets closer to answers—and to Aidan—could she be the Darkling Bride’s next victim?

4

LEGEND_20171214_192237.gifThis was a highly enjoyable dark murder mystery. When I first requested this egalley, I was drawn in by the gothic style elements that were present and what bibliophile doesn’t like a book that involves books? Especially one set in an irish, gothic, and historical library setting. We also got to enjoy a gothic style romance with a lot of dark mysterious paranormal elements including the descriptions of an Irish Castle library and the rest of the 200 year old castle’s secret rooms. This was quite the magnificent tale and the all the characters(including the dead ones ( were enjoyable.The only issue I had with this book was the romance felt a bit off and little forced. Overall, I enjoyed this novel with fantastic characters, a great plot and a gorgeous setting! Highly recommended!
I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

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38492055After spending her life in foster care, Ava has finally found home. But all it takes is a chance encounter with hot nerd Wyatt Wilcox for it to unravel.

Now, things are starting to change. First, the flashes of memories slowly creeping in. Memories of other lives, lives that Wyatt is somehow in. Then, the healing. Any cut? Gone.

But when Cade and Nick show up, claiming to be her brothers, things get even weirder. They tell her she’s a Phoenix, sent to protect the world from monsters—monsters she never knew existed. It’s a little hard to accept. Especially when they tell her she has to end the life of a Phoenix turned rogue, or Cade will die.

With Wyatt’s increasingly suspicious behavior, Ava’s determined to figure out what he’s hiding. Unless she can discover Wyatt’s secret in time and complete her Phoenix training, she’ll lose the life, love, and family she never thought she could have.

3

LEGEND_20171214_192237.gifI liked this book! I think this series has a lot of potential to be something amazing but to be honest this first installment could use a little bit of work. While the plot was fast paced and the story ended up being really good, the beginning confused me really bad. This story is told from multiple POVs and I do enjoy that in a book but with this story and not knowing what a Phoenix was in the beginning I was very lost. I think many readers will love this series and it turned out to be a good adventure. I want to continue reading this series to see what the author has in store for us next. While my rating is 3 stars because all of this confusion, I would still recommend others checking it out of they like the sound of the premise.
I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity and all views expressed are my own.

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35968517Helena Davies just wants a job that will get her out of her parents’ basement. Abernathy’s Bookstore is disorganized, out of the way, and smells funny, but it pays well and promises to at least be interesting. She has no idea how interesting her life will become. By the end of the first day, Helena has a dead boss in the basement, an unexpected promotion, and the news that she is now a part of an endless war against creatures from another reality.

As Abernathy’s newest custodian, Helena is responsible for its secrets, including the most important one: Abernathy’s isn’t just a bookstore. It’s the world’s only living oracle, producing prophecies to help fight the war against alien invaders bent on draining this world of its magic. Helena’s job is to find books to answer questions put to the oracle by the Wardens, fighters in the Long War. It seems simple enough, but Helena’s new job is anything but.

She has allies: her best friend Viv, from whom she has no secrets; Harry and Harriet Keller, elderly magi skilled at uncovering secrets; and the enigmatic Malcolm Campbell, warrior magus and one of the few who have faith in Helena’s abilities. But not everyone is thrilled that an outsider now has charge of one of the world’s most powerful magical entities. Helena must defend herself against the antagonism of Judy Rasmussen, who’d expected to be the next custodian of Abernathy’s, and her father William, powerful leader of the Wardens and someone with an agenda of his own.

Without training, without any knowledge of the magical world, and facing the hostility of those who’d wanted someone else to be Abernathy’s custodian, Helena must navigate the treacherous waters of her new world and find a place for herself within it. But there’s still a murderer on the loose, someone who intended to control Abernathy’s by killing its custodian—and Helena might be next on his list.

4

LEGEND_20171214_192237.gifI thoroughly enjoyed this novel!😍 This is a book that any book lover who loves magic would enjoy! This book was filled with great characters, fantastic word building, a fast paced plot and magic! I loved Helena’s character and how even though she was new to the magic world she was open minded and strong. The reason why I am not giving this book 5 stars is because the ending wasn’t the best. Overall, this is a story that I really enjoyed and recommend.
I want to thank the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.I appreciate this opportunity and all views expressed are my own.

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Inspiring, personal, and often spiritual reflections on how women can find peace, make wise choices, practice everyday joy, and step into their power from Geneen Roth—author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Women Food and God.

From the beginning, Geneen Roth was told she was too sensitive, too emotional, too curious, too demanding, too intense, and too big. Yet gaining and losing weight for decades did not improve her self-worth or reduce other people’s criticisms. Like most women who struggle with their weight, she believed that if she could resolve what seemed to be the source of her self-hatred—how and what she ate—she would be thin, happy, and free. That belief, she discovered, was false.

When her struggle with food ended—and didn’t change anything except the size of her thighs—she kept trying to fix other broken parts of herself with therapy, intensive meditation retreats, and rigorous spiritual practices. Yet it was only when Geneen stopped trying to change or fix herself—that she was at last able to feel at home in her mind, body, and life. Now, she shares the wisdom of giving up what Geneen calls “the Me Project,” and finding the freedom, peace and power that await us just beyond it.

With humor, compassion, and insight, This Messy Magnificent Life explores the personal beliefs, hidden traumas, and social pressures that shape not just women’s feelings about their bodies, but also their confidence, choices, and relationships. This provocative, enchanting, and sometimes laugh-out-loud look at the imperfect path women take to step into their own power, presence, and ownership is based on the author’s personal journey and her decades of work with thousands of women around the country.

Roth embraces everyone’s unique and often unsung potential and shows us how to be open, curious, and kind with ourselves; how to say no to people and ideas that hold us back; how to let go of grudges and anxieties; how to pick ourselves up after setbacks; how to say a resounding yes to the world; how to move from fixing ourselves to finding ourselves; how to find joy in the ordinary; and how to experience the extraordinary right here and now in our bodies.

With a foreword by Anne Lamott, This Messy Magnificent Life is a compelling and often quirky look at what it means to be an imperfect but unapologetic woman living a (mostly) magnificent life.

 3
LEGEND_20171214_192237.gifWhen requesting this title I didn’t realize that it was Christian based. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that with me personally because I am a Christian but my beliefs are very open minded. I appreciate the honesty in this book and it had great writing. I just didn’t find it that relatable. My daily struggles are on a different level and not the same as the author experienced. While I think a lot of women can benefit from this honest, well written and positive novel. This book wasn’t relatable for me so that is why I am giving it 3 stars.
Thanks so much to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
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The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn’t fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange’s compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won’t let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park – and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread – and they’ll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.

5

LEGEND_20171214_192237.gifWhat, a suspenseful read! This story had me on the edge of my seat and scrolling through my kindle as quick as possible. The plot was fast paced and the descriptions were so realistic that you could feel the characters emotions. I enjoyed the characterization in this book and it was chilling how much this book proves there is so much more than what meets the eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something filled with deception, family issues, love and so much more! The twists and turns in this story surprised me and caught me completely off guard. I can’t wait to see what Sally Hepworth has in store for us next! I hated putting this story down and am looking forward to reading Ms. Hepworth’s previous works. Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity and all views expressed are my own.

 

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56 Comments on “The Whitman’s Sampler of Book Reviews Part One”

  1. Hello Dani, glad to see you back in the swing of it all. Hope things are settling down at yours now. I never knew how. many aliens and magical beings, angels, devils, supernatural creatures abounded in the world til I started reading yours and Kims blogs 🙂 I’m going to have to get a tin helmet for when I got outdoors!

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    • Hehehehe!😂😂😂😂 You always crack me up, Fraggle!😜 I will wear the tin foil hat with you because to be honest every time I type any physical symptoms in the internet it always leads back to AIDS!😵 I haven’t got my jollies off in awhile and was always safe and been tested but I’m still paranoid. Who knows maybe all the Cheetos I have eaten lately will give me AIDS!😵😵😵😵😷 AIDS and Cancer! I always end up paranoid and cussing out the phone! Why do they make such things! I’m too paranoid to look it up anymore! I might get those aids or cancer vibes!😵 Disclaimer:No offense to anyone battling these diseases. I have battled the latter.💜💛💚💙

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            • You and Pete always make me smile with your comments daily! Hehehe. I think when you type your symptoms in the internet it’s like this horrid cyclone where you want to just want to look more and more until your official convinced that you are going to die of a disease that isn’t even in your country! The internet is a scary thing.😵😵😵 I will have to write a post about this. I keep trying to click on you and Pete’s page and it says we speak different languages. I’m officially paranoid. It may be the lack of sleep or it may be that WordPress, the government of the internet *coughs* or I am sleep deprived.

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            • I reckon, we definitely don’t speak proper English here!😂😂😂 I’m from the South East. Like Gone With The Wind South. Hehehe. We are the worst when it comes to the English language! Do you really think that’s the reason because I find that quite the discriminatory!😵

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  2. Nice reviews, Dani. My, you are one busy bee! You must be a speed reader. I’ve always been a slow reader, maybe because of my unhurried personality, or laziness. My mind tends to wander. Love the cats rating! 🙂
    –Michael

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    • I have nothing else to do honestly. LOL 😂 I have an issue where I call behind on reviews and then need to catch up and have to bunch them together! Hehehe! I also use TTS so it helps my mild dsylexia and also can listen while I am doing other things!😍💙📚

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  4. YES! This post is a holy grail, I have been looking for books that are about books and shops and/or libraries….. if there’s magic… Bonus points. The Book of Secrets sounds really good….. I’m gonna have to find it 😀 TO AMAZON!

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  10. Yep, you just made me hungry and it’s breakfast here. I can’t possibly ALL I want to eat right now. hehe.. Anyway, Glad you’re back and everything’s well. 🙂 🙂 Great review (as always.) …

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  11. Glad everything is up and running with you 🙂 Great review 🙂 I really like the plot for “The Book of Secrets” I am quite fond of magic. I’d love to have special powers lol. Great job on your review 🙂

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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆

Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆

Hey everyone! I'm Dani and I am a free spirited bibliophile!💖 I love meeting new people and being a part of this community. I have met the best people in the world being a book blogger and love them as family.😍 Here's some words that describe who I am in a nutshell: Book Nerd Girl, Custom-Made, Hippie Chick, Empath, Open Minded, Spiritual(but doesn't push), A Random Rambler, Loves Humor, Pansexual, Poly, Animal Lover, Book Molester, Life Coach, Psychology Major, Dyslexic That Was Self Taught With Books, Inspiring Author, Loves Others to a Fault!💖😍 The only thing I ask for on this blog is respect! Craziness and dirty joking welcome.💯 Discrimination and disrespectful comments can hit their asses with the door!💯📌📝

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