Category Archives: For your reading pleasure – book reviews
completely biased book reviews
Book cover – revealed
And here we are, at the end of the journey.
All told, it took less than three weeks for Nadica to create this cover for me, from first sketch to final artwork, with several changes – a couple big ones – along the way. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed working with her, and I look forward to our next cover together.
Interested in seeing her work? I originally found her through Deviant Art, and fell in love with the sense of movement in her work, and the fine detail. You can check out her gallery here. She does beautiful work, is a dream to collaborate with, and I am so grateful we connected.
Okay – the moment you’ve been waiting for. *Drumroll*
Here is the final cover art for Annie’s Song:
There were a few changes – and yes, some apologies on my end. But Nadica, always gracious, said it was no problem, and gave me this gorgeous, jaw dropping piece of artwork that I can call my very own. *happy sigh*
It fits perfectly with my other covers, and introduces Annie in beautiful, vibrant color.
Now my fab cover designer, Christine, will do her magic, turning it into the perfect ebook and paperback cover.
So, there you have it, the journey of a book cover. I have been fortunate – I found an artist who is not only incredibly talented, but also respects deadlines. I plan on keeping her. 
Remember to leave a comment on this post, and you will have a chance to win an advance copy of Annie’s Song for your ereader, and some exclusive swag!
I will announce the winner on my Facebook page this Friday, so get those comments in!
Thank you for hanging out with me this week. I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes peek at what goes into creating a book cover.
See you soon, and until next time – read on.
cheers,
~Cate
Adventure, romance, and Italy, oh my!
Happy Sunday! My friend and fellow author Stacey Joy Netzel has her book on free promo today and tomorrow, so I thought I’d give her a bit of a boost and offer my review of
Man, this is a great read! I ploughed through it so fast, I felt a bit lost when I got to the end, thinking “It’s over? Already?”
Stacey takes memorable characters and throws them into a situation that is full of twists and unexpected turns. I fell hard for Hallie, and saw a good bit of myself in her. And Trent – yum. Yum yum yum, and another yum. As a plus, he is also a huge -
Uh, uh – not giving that up, or anything else. You can go and nab yourself a free copy today and tomorrow over at Amazon. And while you’re there, check out her Welcome to Redemption series. I’m going to pick myself a couple, and settle in for what I know will be a great adventure.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
This week – I dive into the wild world of sports. How did I get here?
Ah, another first for me – a book that is sports related. I am so not into sports.
So, here we go with
I am not going to mince words here – I loved this book.
From the fun intro, to all the twists, to the really wonderful relationships between Hale and her posse, I just got sucked in.
I will warn those who are language sensitive: there are F-bombs in here. Quite a few. Didn’t bother me in the least, but I like to give a heads up on this type of thing so you all go in forewarned.
Do yourself a big favor and go get this book for your very own. Now
You can get it here.
Me, I’m sitting on my hands waiting for the next Hale Mary book. *hint hint* And her name – that is a story in itself. You’ll just have to read the book to find out what the story is.
Go on – I’m done here.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
My first vampire romance – ever
Yep, you read that right. This week’s review is my first. I am one of the 2 people who did not read Twilight.
So, I jumped in with both feet, and took on
I really like the way it starts. Imagine having your new husband - oh, you almost caught me in a spoiler moment.
Let me say that the opening intrigued – and there is a pull of suspense, of “what will happen next?” that carried me through the book. I especially liked the settings, and that some of it was in Northern California, in places I’d been and recognized. I always enjoy the instant connection that creates between the reader and the story.
And the heat between the main characters – where is my fan? Well, you’ll just have to get a copy and find out for yourself what they do, and how often they – ahem. Right.
You can get your own copy here.
And check out Sharon’s website - it has info on her other books, and I enjoyed learning more about her.
Next on my list is Heavenly Lover – there was a tease in the back of the book, just long enough to make me want more. So I’m off to get it all.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
Kiss Me Dancer – dancing through a great romance
Today my review is for
I have to start out by saying I love Casey, the main character. She is immediately likable, and becomes even more so as the story evolves. Coming from a dance background, I enjoyed that aspect of Casey’s life, and her passion for it.
And Drew – oh, every girl’s dream bad boy. Yep. He made this heart skip a few beats.
This was another book I raced through, because I simply couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
I loved watching their relationship evolve – I especially loved when -
Ah, you know me – no spoilers. Let’s just say I loved this book, and you need to go get your copy. Right now. You can do that here.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming. . . .
Okay – it’s Thursday, so time for a book review. This week I am going to talk about
I have three words: steamy, steamy, steamy!
I wasn’t expecting to need a cold shower while reading parts of the book, but, whew.
I really enjoyed the story itself – there were some unexpected twists, a villain worthy of a takedown, and great chemistry between the main characters, Cassie and Seth. As usual, I’m not going to give much of the story away, except to tell you that you should head on over and grab yourself a copy.
I look forward to more of the Protectors Series. Soon. *hint hint*
You can find Reluctant Protector at Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, and for Sony and Kobo readers. You can visit Nana at her website here.
Now go on and buy the version you like best. Yep, I’m done here.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
At long last – Intangible is here!
Ever since I read her preview short, Intuition, I have been waiting impatiently for J Meyers to release her novel.
That day has come. Intangible is officially available on Amazon – and it is my pleasure to offer you my review.
Both Intuition and the preview of Intangible raised my expectations.
J exceeded all of them.
From the beginning, I fell hard for both Luke and Sera. They are twins, but also individuals, and I really enjoyed their relationship as brother and sister.
And the world she has created, with both dark and light, twists through the everyday, bringing unique and surprising characters into Luke and Sera’s life.
As two kids with special powers – powers they hide from everyone – each twin deals with their secret in a different way. Sera blocks herself from the possibility of friendship, aware that her gift as a healer attracts. Luke is the more outgoing – but he has a secret he can’t even tell Sera, a secret that is tearing him apart because he can’t do anything about it.
As usual, I am not going to give much away – I hate spoilers in reviews. But I am going to say that I raced through her book in less than three days, that I laughed, I cried, I was surprised, delighted, scared for the characters, and came up for air thinking that she damn well better be writing a sequel right this moment.
Now run run run those fingers right over to Amazon and snag yourself a copy. Then come back here on Thursday for an interview with J herself.
Go on – yep, I’m done here.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
May I have your attention, please. . . .
I don’t normally post on Monday, but I wanted to let you all know that this week is going to be a bit different.
My friend and fellow author, J Meyers, is putting her novel, Intangible, out into the world.
The official release is tomorrow. So I am doing a bit of a change up. I will be reviewing the book tomorrow, and have an exclusive interview with J on Thursday. You can see my review of her preview short Intuition here.
I am really excited to be sharing her new book with you all – in the midst of it right now.
So come on back Tuesday for the full scoop.
See you then,
~Cate
Chick-lit – where have you been all this time?
I am the first to admit it – this fantasy-lover wouldn’t seek out chick-lit. Not intentionally.
But if it is all like the fun, funny, tug-at-your-heartstrings story I am reviewing today, I am all in!
And here it is:
I was pulled in from the first paragraph, then I just fell. Author Talli Roland had me laughing, crying, and rooting for everyone in this gem of a novella.
It is a quick read – I finished in one shot, simply because I couldn’t put it down. I had to know how everything turned out.
And that is the hallmark of a well written story.
I won’t give anything away, because I want you to go and read it for yourself. You can get a copy here. I’m glad I took the chance on chick-lit – now I’m off to buy the rest of her books.
Go on – do yourself a favor and get it.
Until next time – read on
~Cate
Wales, time travel and history? Color me a happy reader!
I just finished this book:
It is a prequel to her After Cilmeri series, and I am glad I read this one first.
Written in first person, with a split point of view, it is both a sweeping history and a very character focused story.
I fell in love with Wales my first trip there, and by the second trip I didn’t want to leave. During my research and while I was there I read a good bit about Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, and the love the Welsh have for him even today. And yes, I know how to pronounce his name – I’m just that much of a history geek.
This story pulls you in from the first paragraph, with Meg standing over her dead husband in a morgue. Falling back through time, she and her daughter become a part of the Prince’s world. I was literally swept back with her, into a well-developed and lush historical landscape.
I am a huge history buff, and because of that, I demand plenty from the historical fiction I read. Sarah Woodbury delivered that and more, in an approachable writing style that even the non-historian would enjoy.
I am heading over right now to get Footsteps in Time, and I can’t wait to start it!
You can find Daughter of Time here, and learn more about Sarah at her website. I am off to explore it, right after I buy her next book, because in a word, it looks awesome.
Well, what are you waiting for? I’m history.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
