'Mistakes make us great.': MARKER by Anna King - REVIEW!

We've put away pencils,

We've put away books (well, SCHOOL books at least);

We've waved goodbye to teachers,

And changed up our looks (for summer!).

The summer holidays have arrived, and with it, the freedom that the months away from the hallowed halls of learning bring...BUT, that doesn't mean the learning ends, ESPECIALLY when you have such great "teachers" to get the point across.  SO, are YOU ready to see what's in store as the Teacher Supplies prep for the coming year?  Let's DO this!

Marker

by

Anna King

Illustrated by

Christopher Weyant

9781542039611

Two Lions

About the book....

Marker is one of the teacher’s go-to school supplies. Her work is tip-top, and she always makes a lasting impression. That is, until Pinking Shears, a.k.a. Pink, arrives and dazzles everyone with her sharp creations. No longer the star of the desk, Marker begins to make mistakes. The trouble is, they can’t just be erased; her work is permanent, and she’s not allowed to fail. Or so she thinks…until a realization helps her rediscover her Marker magic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meeting Marker and friends was darling.  I mean, I always wondered how the teacher got her stuff all prepped and ready to go for the new year, and, seriously, who DOESN'T love new school supplies?  Am I right?  I mean, every school year, I looked forward to getting just the right backpack, folders, binders, pens, pencils, markers... *sigh*...good memories.  Nowadays, I still look forward to that time of year...they're just OFFICE supplies instead of SCHOOL, but the learning never stops at any age, despite the setting.  Take this book...

It's a title that I'm well outside the target audience of, but the messages ring loud and clear as if I was just starting out.  The Classroom Rules that evolve throughout the course of the story... be respectful and kind...include others, don't exclude...listen...to name a few.  Spot on, and insightful.  The Failure Fun Day that's thrown for the supplies to try new things, make a mess, and make mistakes!  AS eraser so aptly says... Mistakes make us great.  (LOVE THAT ONE!)  

So you see, Picture Books can be enjoyable for readers just starting out to those seeing their golden years out, and leave just as memorable an impression.  Outside of the fun story, and memorable characters, the illustrations really tie this one all together.  The expressiveness of each supply, the happiness, the worries, and everything in between that you'd never expect to see is shown, and really brings you into their world, while still reminding you that the pearls of wisdom shared are equally as applicable in our every day lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant are the creators of Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner You Are (Not) Small and five more books in that series, as well as Christopher Award winner Eraser, Hudson and Tallulah Take Sides, Can I Tell You a Secret?, and Will You Help Me Fall Asleep? Christopher’s work can also be seen in The New Yorker and the Boston Globe, and his cartoons are syndicated worldwide. This husband-and-wife team lives in New Jersey with their two daughters and their dog, Hudson. Visit them at www.annakang.com and www.christopherweyant.com.

Twitter: @annakang27 @ChristophWeyant

Instagram: annakangbooks; christopherweyant

Facebook: Anna Kang - Author; Christopher Weyant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to the dream team at Blue Slip Media for the chance to bring this title to you and to Two Lions for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the illustrator, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  Keep an eye out for more celebrating the BOOK BIRTHDAY of this title throughout the blogosphere and social media!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

WHAT'S THE BUZZ!: Brewbies by Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin - REVIEW!

COME and get it...

FRESH and piping HOT...

Need something to tide you over...

Need something to see you through the late night...

Check out today's WHAT'S THE BUZZ title, hitting virtual bookshelves tomorrow!  The latest addition to the Townsend Harbor series, and just as UNIQUE as the first installment (search my review on here for a sneaky peek).  Curious?  You should be, but let me make sure you're aware, this is for ADULTS ONLY...so, if you're a kiddo checking out this post, turn away until you're a bit older, 'kay?  😉  Anywho, back to the tantalizing title at hand, and today's ebook of choice...

Brewbies

Townsend Harbor, Book 2

by

Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin

Oliver Heber Books

Release Date: 6/20/23

About the book...

Darby Dunwell is not—as her name might suggest—a Bond Girl, though she's been blessed with the body of one. An east coast, ivy-league, trust fund kid, she flees a life of expectation, elocution, and executive board rooms to follow her one true love: Coffee. Isn't the Washington Coast the Mecca for all things brew related? The deeply eccentric seaside tourist hamlet of Townsend Harbor throws its doors wide open for her sex-positive, bikini-themed coffee shop named, Brewbies. Her grand opening is an unmitigated success, until the county sheriff saunters in to shut her down.

Compulsive rule-follower Sheriff Ethan Townsend is known for helping old ladies across the road, breaking up bar fights, and keeping the sleepy town safe from the flood of seasonal tourists. One-night stands, not so much. After having his heart publicly stomped on, he no longer bothers to ask the name of the woman he's going to forget in the morning. A policy he regrets when the woman who blew his mind turns out to be his nemesis. Not only is Darby's salacious coffee shop causing traffic incidents on the Coastal Highway, its proprietress keeps making his life-among other things-as hard as possible.

Darby finds herself embroiled in a feud she never wanted with the cop who is as tight assed as his trousers suggest. But even as their animosity sizzles and the town begins to take sides, Ethan can't seem to keep his eyes off Darby's double D's.

AMAZON  |  BOOKBUB |  GOODREADS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honestly, when this one arrived in my inbox, I had to think for a moment.  I couldn't place the series it was adding to until I spotted the authors cowriting it.  Then, like a bolt from above, it hit me...it was a follow-up to THAT  book.  You know, the book that had a lot more "stuff" in it than I realized it would, but still kept me entertained, and flicking epages til the very end.  Nevermore Bookstore... you should totally look it up, but I digress.  Once I placed it, I was brought back to the present because really, I did not want to revisit the character that is the Sheriff. 

Sorry, not sorry, but he was a complete and utter a**hole in the first book, especially to our girl Cady!  Grant it, by book's end, he turned a corner, but we're not talking a NYC corner...more like a tiny turn within your own home.  He had NOT redeemed himself in my eyes, but as much as I was not in like with him, I wanted to hear Darby's story.  I wanted to see just who the woman was behind the suggestive coffee bar on wheels.  I mean, it takes gumption and serious attitude to run a shop with the name she's graced it with, and the matching menu that it sells.  Here for a Double D with a ...okay, well, I forget the specific names of the items 🤣, but they are less coffee, more lingerie add...and that's okay!  You know why?  She's an empowered woman...she stands on her own two feet, and takes life by the horns, and if what she does brings a chuckle, a gaffaw, or outrageous flirtations, all the better...because she has a story, and while it wasn't always roses and rainbows, she's still here telling it in her own way.  I couldn't help but respect her.  Ethan on the other hand...

Still was not a fan for most of the story, certainly not a fault of the writing/authors, he just hit me the wrong way, but by book's end, he's better...if only just.  A LOT of things happen around him and to him, setting him back a few steps from his bigheaded persona, and as much as he tries to resist the connection between him and Darby, it only seems to grow.  That's the thing about the truth, and the best things for us...they don't just go away because we wish them to.  They plague us, day after day, until something snaps...whether it be our emotions or our self-control, and as the fires burn brighter, and hotter, that truth truly sets us free.  Watching Ethan walk that line between what's good for the community and what he wants, what he needs, is TENSE...and seeing him realize so many things he never really understood was fantastic, well, for us...but it was heart-stopping for him.  I say, GOOD...he needed it, and the outcome of it all was OVER THE TOP (or is that over the BIGTOP?)!

A story that reads as hot as the caffeine infused drinks that feature, if you like RomComs and don't mind getting a little hot under the collar, or even going collarless entirely, don't miss this release (unintentional innuendo!)!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the authors...

Kerrigan Byrne is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of several novels in both the romance and mystery genre.

She lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington with her wonderful husband, two Rottweiler mixes and a very cuddly cat. When she's not writing and researching, you'll find her kayaking, on the beach, eating, drinking, shopping, and attending live comedy, ballet, or too many movies.

Kerrigan loves to hear from her readers! To contact her or learn more about her books, please visit her sites:

SITE  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  INSTAGRAM

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bestselling author Cynthia St. Aubin wrote her first play at age eight and made her brothers perform it
for the admission price of gum wrappers. A steal, considering she provided the wrappers in advance. Though her early work debuted to mixed reviews, she never quite gave up on the writing thing, even while earning a mostly useless master's degree in art history and taking her turn as a cube monkey in the corporate warren.

Because the voices in her head kept talking to her, and they discourage drinking at work, she started writing instead. When she's not standing in front of the fridge eating cheese, she's hard at work figuring out which mythological, art historical, or paranormal friends to play with next. She lives in Texas with two surly cats.

Cynthia loves to hear from her readers! You can find her here:

FACEBOOK | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SITE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to the authors for the chance to bring this title to your attention and the ecopy for review! (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the series, or the authors, feel free to click through the links provided above! This title is out in the world TOMORROW (06/20/23), so mark your calendar or click on over to your favorite online retailer to preorder the ebook today.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

RRR presents... Scotlander by Sheila McClure - REVIEW!

It's officially summer time, and the weather is heating up...at least down here it is.  What better time to plan a getaway to a foreign land to live out your superfandom dreams as characters in your favorite show?  Am I right?  Wait a second...

Such is the beginning of our tale, except for the planned escape, and really any planning at all...at least on the part of our leading lady.  Curious?  Ah well then, settle in ye lads and lasses, as I spin the story of today's book of choice via Rachel's Random Resources...

Scotlander 

by 

Sheila McClure 

About the book... 

When the Big C takes her best friend too soon, Willa Jenkins struggles to recapture the joy in her life, and all she wants is to get away from LA’s glitzy party circuit. But superfan Valentina had other plans. For her final, wickedly funny act, she’s packing her bestie off on a two-week Outlander-themed experience at Balcraigie Castle, Scotland. 

Expecting a couple of weeks with Valentina’s hot brother Gabe, Willa gets more than she bargained for when she’s put to work doing actual, real-life farm work. Not only that, but to get the ‘full’ experience, she’s paired up with the irritating—and irritatingly sexy—Finn, with whom she will pose as fake husband and wife for the next two weeks. 

Willa despairs of Valentina’s terrible trick. But then she makes a discovery. Finn’s family might just lose the castle if they can’t make the experience worthwhile for the other attendees. The stakes are high, but as the days pass and the fake marriage she signed up for starts to feel all too real, could Willa be in for a prize of a different kind…love? 

AMAZON UK  |  US  |   B&N

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I was tied up in knots with this one, and quite frankly, I don't know if I was having an overly emotional day, or what, but it hit me right in feels SEVERAL times, calling forth ye olde waterworks.  But I digress...

We start at the beginning, which was actually an ending for one, and the start for another with a great big PUSH from that dearly departed and loved soul.  Willa's bestie was like a sister from another mister, and losing her was was a hardship to say the least, but, being the big thinker, big planner, big ways-of-the-universe person that she was, Valentina knew just what to do. She would guide her best friend forever and her long lost brother to their happily-ever-afters from the great beyond. Lucky for Willa, her bestie really did know what she needed to recover and move forward, but DANG if it didn't have hiccups along the way! 

I'm telling you, an immersive experience in your fave fandom sounds magical, until it's put into practice... especially when it's not technically YOUR fave fandom either! Oh Valentina, you had a good heart, and a wicked sense of humor. Willa was adrift, even if she didn't realize it, so this trip was a great big wake-up call in disguise. Eventually, she sees through it, and sees it through because somewhere along the way, it became about more than losing herself in a trip of her friend's making, and finding herself, her true self, that she didn't know she was missing.  

A fun, funny, and heartfelt romcom for fans of the genre, with several quirks along the way. Example... there are quite a few celebrity cameos in the book, not a shock considering her job, but the one that shook me the most, The Rock. Let's just say that interview hit hard, right in the feels. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

About the author... 

Sheila McClure lives in the English countryside with her Scottish husband, their dogs, Harris and Skye, and a small herd of delightfully striped Belted Galloway cattle. Prior to rural life in the UK, she was a camerawoman and news producer for Associated Press Television. As she’s originally from Seattle, she began her working life as a barista. She has also written books as Annie O’Neil and Daisy Tate. She will never refuse a quality dill pickle. 

TWITTER |  INSTAGRAM |  FACEBOOK 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

~~~ GIVEAWAY ~~~ 

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN…. 

...a paperback copy of Scotlander plus a packet of Tunnocks Teacakes! 

(Open to UK only) 

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you., and for the ecopy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today and be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

The Orphan's Letters by Glynis Peters - REVIEW!

This one goes out to all my Historical Fiction readers, looking for somethin new to add to their summer reading list.  It's a heartfelt story spanning a time of war, and yet there are moments of hope, moments of happiness, and moments of love to be cherished along the way.  Curious?  Let's dive between the pages of today's book of choice...

The Orphan's Letters

by

Glynis Peters

9780008492410

One More Chapter | Harper 360

About the book...

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but does nothing to heal the pain of spending every minute waiting to hear the worst…

As the Second World War rages on, nurse Kitty Pattison’s life takes a nomadic turn as her work with the Red Cross sees her traversing the country, moving from post to post.

With her best friends Jo and Trixie also scattered across the UK, and her soldier sweetheart Michael off on the continent undertaking medical missions he can’t discuss, the war takes its toll and long days are followed by sleepless nights interrupted only by nightmares of what she’s seen on the wards.

Now, Kitty’s hopes rise and fall with the arrival of the post – the only thing that keeps her connected to her aunt and uncle, her dear friends, and her Michael – and every moment spent with those she loves is held dear, because each one could be the last…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book has a myriad of genres slung at it, but while it has some romantic elements, I wouldn't call it a Romance in the usual sense, more a romance of life.

Kitty is a stalwart woman.  Resourceful, kind hearted, able to think on her feet, and the last to turn away a weary soul...she's sent camp to camp to station throughout the bloody war.  Grant it, she's not the only one, but her journey is the one we're most involved in, therefore I can't help but feel the most for her.  She lost out on the chance to have a family.  She lost out on the chance to enjoy a traditional marriage or courtship.  She lost out on the chance to simply have a night out with the girls without a care in the world.  She lost out on the chance to grow up in a world where her biggest worry was who to go with, or what to wear.  Now, before you get completely maudlin, she never truly felt sorry for herself, and that, my dear readers, is what brings us through the tough times as well.  She gained skills and experience she might never have.  She learned just how far she was willing to go for those she loved.  She explored the capacity of her heart to forgive, as well as learn from past mistakes.  She shared the good times as they came, and pushed through the bad times that kept coming.  She was a remarkable woman, and the lives she touched, as well as those that touched hers in turn, left their mark for better or worse.

A great pick for Historical Fiction fans as well as Women's Fiction fans.  I must warn you though, it's not all sunshine and roses, and despite a good end, I can't say it didn't rip my heart out a few times along the way...so yeah, tissues should be in reach!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the author...

Glynis Peters is a British author. She lives by the sea in Essex with her husband of forty-plus years. They have three adult children, and Glynis is a retired NHS nurse.

When not writing she enjoys fishing with her husband, cross-stitch, and playing with her granddaughters who live nearby. Her son lives with his family in Vancouver, Canada, and Glynis loves nothing more than visiting them.

Her first WWII historical novel is the USA Today and Globe & Mail bestseller, The Secret Orphan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to Sophia at Harper 360 for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is newly available, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or at a virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Rockstar Book Tours presents... THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS by Alaya Dawn Johnson - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Today, I'm hosting a spot on the THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS by Alaya Dawn Johnson Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my mini review, snag your chance to enter the giveaway, then swing by the other sites participating!

 

Title: THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS

Author: Alaya Dawn Johnson

Pub. Date: June 6, 2023

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 448

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/THE-LIBRARY-OF-BROKEN-WORLDS

A girl matches wits with a war god in this kaleidoscopic, thought-provoking tale of oppression and the cost of peace, where stories hide within other stories, and narrative has the power to heal -- or to burn everything in its path -- from World Fantasy Award–winning author Alaya Dawn Johnson.

A girl and a god, alone in communion ...

In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great peacekeeper of the three systems, a heinous secret lies buried -- and Freida is the only one who can uncover it. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library's ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique -- and dangerous.

When Freida meets Joshua, a Tierran boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future.

With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives -- if he doesn't destroy her first.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not gonna lie, this book is pretty intense! It's rated for the Young Adult crowd and beyond, but, it's total high Science Fiction. Is that a thing? If not,  it should be. Normally I hear high Fantasy as a sub genre, but this has all the earmarks but with the scientific twist. The world being built seems unimaginable. The beings we encounter seem just beyond reachable, and their humanity is certainly in question. The tasks set before them register as impossible. The environment they inhabit seems to breath and alter, yet has no true pulse. It's a Library but not like any you or I have ever seen, or probably will see, though from some of the things that occur, I can't say I'm sorry about that. However, although much seems beyond reach, the class struggles, personal battles, and all out wars to gain things lost, and protect things not their own... yeah; those sound familiar. 

It's a story within a story within a story that reminds us we can only move forward if we embrace the past, learn from it, and built on it. We can do anything we set our minds to, but set them we must. Nothing ever truly dies if there is but one being that still holds the memory of it. Along with a very curious and intertwined tale, we also have an inclusive cast that readers can find themselves in at some point or another, inviting everyone to get lost between the pages, and see just how much power a story can hold. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

About the author...

Alaya Dawn Johnson is an award-winning short story writer and the author of seven novels for adults and young adults. Her most recent novel for adults, Trouble the Saints, won the 2021 World Fantasy Award for best novel. Her debut short story collection, Reconstruction, was an Ignyte Award and a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist. Her debut YA novel The Summer Prince was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and the follow-up Love Is the Drug was awarded the Andre Norton Nebula Award. Her short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, most notably the title story in The Memory Librarian, in collaboration with Janelle Monáe. She lives in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Find Alaya- https://linktr.ee/alayadawnjohnson | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS, US Only.

Ends June 20th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to the Rockstar Book Tours team for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the publisher for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now via Scholastic Press, so click on over to your favorite online retailer or plan a trip to your local brick and mortar store!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/22/2023	yabookscentral.com	Interview
5/23/2023	The Reading Life	Excerpt/IG Post
5/24/2023	@katherinebichler	TikTok Post
5/25/2023	@jlreadstoperpetuity	Review/IG Post
5/26/2023	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
5/27/2023	onemused	IG Post

Week Two:

5/28/2023	celiamcmaahonreads	IG Review
5/29/2023	thealylifestyle	Review/IG Post
5/30/2023	travelersguidetobooks	IG Review
5/31/2023	Jaime_of_gryffindor	Review/IG Post
6/1/2023	@get.outside.and.read	IG Post
6/2/2023	Book-Keeping	Review/IG Post
6/3/2023	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

6/4/2023	Author Z. Knight’s Guild	Review/IG Post
6/5/2023	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
6/6/2023	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
6/7/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Review/IG Post
6/8/2023	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
6/9/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
6/10/2023	Fall Between the Pages	IG Review/TikTok Post

Week Four:

6/11/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
6/12/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
6/13/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
6/14/2023	@get.outside.and.read	IG Review
6/15/2023	Books with Brandie Shanae	YouTube Review/IG Post
6/16/2023	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!