Monday, November 27, 2023

#Review ~ Sherlock Bones and the Curse of the Pharaoh’s Mask by Tim Collins ~ A Puzzle Adventure #MiddleGrade ~ Illustrated by John Bigwood


Book Details:

Publisher: ‎ Buster Books (May 1, 2023)
Paperback: ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 1780557515
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1780557519
Reading age: ‎ 7 - 9 years
Grade level: ‎ 2 - 4
Amazon
Goodreads

About the Book:

Sherlock Bones, the world’s greatest dog detective, and his trusty sidekick Dr. Catson are back for another crime-solving adventure.

This time, the pair are visiting the tombs of the ancient feline kings in Egypt when they discover that a precious mask has been stolen. They have to interview tourists from around the world – including a cowardly lion, a spoiled hippo and two secretive pandas – to discover who is guilty. But the mystery is not as straightforward as it first seems.

It will take the pair on a thrilling adventure deep inside the Egyptian tombs and require all of Bones and Catson’s skills to solve the crime. The second book in Buster’s brand-new Sherlock Bones fiction series features puzzles – including search games, logical conundrums and shadow matches – that are woven into the action, so the reader feels immersed in the exciting detective plot.

My Review:

Sherlock Bones and the Curse of the Pharaoh's Mask is the second book in the Sherlock Bones Puzzle Quest series. Sherlock Bones and his trusty sidekick, Jane Catson, are visiting the Egyptian Pyramids when a valuable mask is stolen. Filled with puzzles and games, this book is a delight for all ages, but is specifically for middle grade readers.

I love the spin on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Loves of anything Sherlock Holmes will find this series fun, full of adventure, and entertaining.

I was provided a copy of this book.

My Rating:


Amazon links are affiliate links.

Monday, November 20, 2023

#Review ~ Sherlock Bones and the Case of the Crown Jewels by Tim Collins ~ A Puzzle Adventure #MiddleGrade ~ Illustrated by John Bigwood

 

Book Details:

Publisher: ‎ Buster Books (February 7, 2023)
Paperback: ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 1780557507
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1780557502
Reading age: ‎ 7 - 9 years
Grade level: ‎ 2 - 3
Amazon
Goodreads

About the Book:

When the crown jewels go missing from Buckingham Kennel, it’s up to super-sleuth Sherlock Bones and his trusty sidekick Dr Catson to solve the crime.

My Review:

Sherlock Bones and the Case of the Crown Jewels is the first book in the Sherlock Bones Puzzle Quest series. Sherlock Bones and his trusty sidekick, Jane Catson, are called to Buckingham Palace to solve the case of the missing Crown Jewels. Filled with puzzles and games, this book is a delight for all ages, but is specifically for middle grade readers.

I love the spin on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Loves of anything Sherlock Holmes will find this series fun, full of adventure, and entertaining.

I was provided a copy of this book.

My Rating:


Amazon links are affiliate links.

Thursday, November 16, 2023

#Review ~ Claus and Effect by Piper Rayne ~ @PiperRayneRocks #HolidayRomance #Romance @valentine_pr_




Claus and Effect by Piper Rayne is now live!

Two strangers who couldn’t be more opposite find themselves on an unexpected cross-country road trip days before Christmas where whatever can go wrong, does.


He’s an Army Ranger.

She’s a baker.


He’s organized and rigid.

She’s messy and carefree.


He doesn’t do relationships.

She’s following her heart.


His family chat blows up his phone.

She just buried her last living relative.


The holiday season doesn’t seem so jolly as they venture from one mode of transportation to the next. But, they have to become friends and rely on each other if they’re going to survive all the obstacles thrown their way.


As the miles grow shorter, vulnerabilities are shared, and by the time they reach their destination, neither one of them is sure what they really want for Christmas anymore.

My Review:

Military and down-on-her-luck collide during a trip across the country.

Claus and Effect takes the reader on a wild ride across the country involving two strangers on a plane, in a car, and via train. Tessa is chasing love across the country and Tre is going home after being on active duty. Enter one disaster after another as both try to go from the east coast to the west coast. Forced together due to several unfortunate events, this couple of opposites find themselves traveling together to get to their destinations before Christmas.

This book is a stand-alone novel but ties back to Single and Ready to Jingle. We get to see the two main characters from SaRtJ, one of whom just happens to be Tessa’s bestie, but the interaction is light.

I love the opposites attract trope. Tessa and Tre were clearly not right for each other upon first meeting. Everything about them screamed oil and water. However, that’s the beauty of this story. Tessa and Tre were in a forced proximity scenario, without a lot of input from people they knew (which we all know can be good sometimes, but also causes a lot of problems), allowing them to really open up to one another (eventually). When they are forced to share modes of transportation, they find they are more compatible than they first though.

Tessa and Tre are fun to get to know. Coming from different familiar structures, I wasn’t sure how things would pan out, but the authors did a wonderful job creating, developing, and drawing them out. While the timespan of the story is short, they both grow and develop throughout the pages, and I love seeing them together. The chemistry between them is off the charts.

My Rating:


Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!



Audio Narrated by: Lee Samuels & Brooke Bloomingdale


Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3mRbZnV


Meet Piper Rayne:



Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling Author duo who write "heartwarming humor with a side of sizzle" about families, whether that be blood or found. They both have e-readers full of one-clickable books, they're married to husbands who drive them to drink, and they're both chauffeurs to their kids. Most of all, they love hot heroes and quirky heroines who make them laugh, and they hope you do, too!

Connect with Piper Rayne:









Friday, October 20, 2023

#Review ~ THE ULTIMATE BRAG BOOK ABOUT YOURSELF: A hundred questions about how awesome you are! by Marla J. Albertie


ASIN: ‎ B0BT25JW93
Publisher: ‎ Self Publishing 
Publication date: ‎ January 24, 2023
Print length: ‎ 131 pages
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46x4Fzp
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54761376-the-ultimate-brag-book-about-yourself


Can you imagine all the things you like, love, and adore in one book?

Let’s be honest. We tend to forget how amazing we really are. It is easy to see it in others, but when it comes to seeing ourselves, we tend to have bad vision.

This is why I wrote this book! All your favorites are captured at one time with space to write more. How often do we brag about ourselves, take time to think about what makes us happy, or do the things we like? If I had to guess, not as often as you would like. You deserve to brag about yourself, so why not? Not only is this a bragging book, but it is a book of ideas you can use to start your next project, business, career move, or anything your heart desires.

In this book, you will learn:
How to vision board your next big career move
How to inspire yourself by simply bragging about yourself
That you are worthy

This book is for everyone who wants to see themselves as the person they are. You deserve to be your own cheerleader. Grab this book today and start bragging on yourself!

My Review:

The Ultimate Brag Book About Yourself is less about bragging and more about confidence-building, reflection, and goal-setting. Some of the questions are motivational, some are reminders of accomplishments, others are likes, loves, and needs. There are questions that don't pertain to me and will be left blank, but those are few and far between. 

All hundred questions require thought and your ability to go outside your comfort zone and really embrace who you are, your accomplishments, and where you see yourself in the future. Go ahead - buy the paperback, and for the one and only time I'll advise this - write in your book to your heart's content. Talk about yourself, pull information from the recesses of your mind, remember what you've done in your life, and have fun with those memories. 

You can do anything, and maybe you have. You can be anything, and maybe you are. There's always room to change and grow. If you find, after filling out this book, you haven't accomplished everything you've set out to do in your life, you can add to your bragging book later. If you're like me, many of my answers to the questions in the book (such as favorite artists, closest friends, and things that make me smile) change with the stages of my life. And that's okay. 

The paperback copy of the book I used was graciously provided to me. 

My Rating:




 

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Cover Reveal ~ It Hurts Every Time by L.P. Mills - SciFi, Speculative Fiction, Political, Multiverse, Mystery @liampmills10 @MirrorWorldPub


Mirror World Publishing and Sapphyria's Book Promotions present the cover reveal for

It Hurts Every Time by L.P. Mills

About It Hurts Every Time:

“Death is not the end, sir,

No, sir, not the end of the line,

Just remember what I say to you;

It hurts, baby,

It hurts every time.”

Pluto Garcia is a lieutenant in the Community Militia of Morrisette, a post-communist city-state where a miracle drug has advanced enough to allow the dying a second chance at life by launching them into the nearest available universe in which they are still alive.

In his latest incarnation, Pluto is tasked with investigating the death of Krishna Klein, a brilliant but troubled philanthropist who has been found with a bullet in his head following a week-long bender. With the aid of his assigned partner, Esther Dupont, Pluto uncovers a techno-fascistic plot to plunge the flawed Utopia of Morrissette into authoritarian control once and for all.


Release Date:




LP Mills is an author, game designer, journalist, and beard owner. He currently lives in front of a computer screen in Nottingham, UK, where he feverishly tells stories in an attempt to ignore his day-to-day responsibilities. His dog, Jack Daniels, has yet to compliment him on his writing.

Find L.P. Online:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/liampmills10

Author Website: https://sealightstudios.bigcartel.com/

Publisher Website: http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/



Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Review ~ Peaches and Dreams (Green Valley Heroes #4) by Juliette Cross ~ @Juliette__Cross @SmartyPantsRom


About the Book:

Marly Rivers is not crazy. No matter what everyone says. They may think her dream is foolish, but she plans to prove them all wrong—one jar of moonshine at a time.

Single dad Wade Kelley is just fine. No matter what his best friend Jed says. He doesn’t need a woman in his life. But when his son Jake breaks a jar of moonshine, he sets something in motion that neither Wade nor Marly are prepared for.

A friendly favor turns into late nights, long dinners, and a romp in the woods. And in a deer stand too. By the time Wade realizes he’s fallen hard and deep for Mad Marly, it may be too late to tell her. When she falls into real and sudden danger with poachers, he may not even be able to save her.

‘Peaches and Dreams’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #4 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Review:

Peaches and Dreams is a fun contemporary romance. I not only enjoyed Marly and Wade, but the secondary characters, as well, especially Wade's son, Jake. The small-town setting was near and dear to my heart since I, too, am from a small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business but the community is tight knit.

Marly's dream is different but none-the-less important. I loved that she stayed resolved even in the face of adversity (I'm look at you, Marly's dad). Marly is quirky and fun and the way she was written totally fit with the character I envisioned. I loved Marly and Wade together, even with their vast differences, and getting to know them from the small interjections from their past and during their navigation of the present.

I love Juliette Cross’s writing style and the way she tells stories. Her ability to create stories with romance and a solid plot is what keeps me coming back. I can't wait for Juliette's next book, in any series or standalone. She is a favorite one-click author for me!!

I was provided a copy of this book.

My Rating:



My Review was originally posted here:

https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/2023/09/release-day-review-peaches-and-dreams.html 

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Release Day #Review ~ Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars by Pete Prown #Guitars #Guitarists #HeavyMetal #RockGods


Sure to strike a chord with guitarists and heavy metal fans, this authoritative and photo-filled volume surveys more than 80 of the genre’s greatest axe-slingers from the 1970s to present.

From metal pioneers like Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, and Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore to today’s hottest shredders, thrashers, and riffers, Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars is your guide to the instruments and musicians that made metal. Author and guitar journalist Pete Prown presents his subjects by metal-defining eras and subgenres, early metal, hard rock and arena rock , prog rock , Euro metal, hair metal, shred, thrash, and more.

Prown’s knowledgeable discussions examine specific noteworthy guitars each player made famous, as well as effects pedals , amplifiers , and career overviews that include the players’ first-person revelations and insights.

Illustrated with photos of the guitarists in action, the book features an early chapter on influencers who set the stage for the genre (think Clapton, Hendrix, and Beck), plus sidebars so you don’t miss out on any of metal’s nooks and crannies, touching on grunge, math metal, nu metal, doom metal, and the genre’s roots in blues and early rock.

Book Details:

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Motorbooks (September 12, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0760377758
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0760377758
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78534292-ultimate-heavy-metal-guitars

Guitarists Included in the Book:

Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Jimi Hendrix
Pete Townshend
Jimmy Page
Tony Iommi
Ritchie Blackmore
Leslie West
Martin Barre
Mick Box
Johnny Winter
Joe Perry & Brad Whitford
Brian May
Robin Trower
Don “Buck Dharma” Roeser
Rick Derringer
Ronnie Montrose
Frank Marino
Mick Ralphs
Eddie Van Halen
Ace Frehley
Tom Scholz & Barry Goudreau
Nancy Wilson
Neal Schon
Angus & Malcolm Young
Pat Travers
Michael Schenker
Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson
Glenn Tipton & K.K. Downing
Rudolph Schenker, Uli Jon Roth & Matthias Jabs
Dave Murray & Adrian Smith
Randy Rhoads
Kerry Livgren & Rich Williams
Alex Lifeson
Michael Wilton & Chris DeGarmo
John Petrucci
Phil Collen & Steve Clark
Gary Moore
Joan Jett
Lita Ford
Brad Gillis & Jeff Watson
Mick Mars
John Sykes
Vernon Reid
Yngwie Malmsteen
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Vivian Campbell
Jason Becker
Paul Gilbert
George Lynch
Tony MacAlpine & Vinnie Moore
James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett
Dave Mustaine
Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman
Scott Ian
Slash
Zakk Wylde
Dimebag Darrell
Ty Tabor
Jerry Cantrell
Tom Morello
Kim Thayil
Mark Tremonti
Alexi Laiho
Herman Li
Brent Hinds & Bill Kelliher
Nita Strauss
Nili Brosh

My Review:

As a heavy metal and hard rock enthusiast, this book was right up my alley. I read about each and every guitarist featured in Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars. I grew up listing to what is now classic rock and as I've gotten older, my tastes have gotten harder. I can't wait to see Parkway Drive tomorrow (September 13, 2023). Reading about each guitarist took me to the front row of the concert in my imagination. The way the author wrote this book made the guitarists come to life. Those I've seen and those I've wished I could see. 

While I've never seen Aerosmith live, and since this year is their farewell tour am not likely too, I have seen Brad Whitford. He came on stage and rocked the house during the Godsmack concert I attended on May 26, 2023. He was absolutely amazing - and Sully even rocked an Aerosmith song.

I saw Bad Company on tour about 20 years ago. They opened for David Lee Roth. Another fantastic concert I'm glad I was able to attend.

Megadeth rocked the stage on September 24, 2021, headlining a show that also included Trivium and Lamb of God. Dave Mustaine didn't put on an active show but his guitar playing was rhythmic. I was captivated by the live versions of the songs I'd only ever experienced on the radio.

I saw the magic that is Jerry Cantrell in 2022 with the amazing William Duvall on lead vocals at an Alice in Chains concert. I, unfortunately, never saw them with Layne Staley and know that would have been a hell of a show. Jerry's vocals blended seamlessly with William's, just as they did with Layne. Jerry's guitar solos were mesmerizing and I spent most of my time watching him sing and play. I typically watch all members of a band throughout a show but watching Jerry play a guitar is magical and I didn't want to miss anything.

Each section is clearly labeled and provides fascinating information, facts, and photos. The only sections of the book that didn't truly interest me were death metal and black metal. I'm not into either of those heavy metal genres and skipped the majority of those short sections. 

I was provided a copy of this book.

My in progress Live Song Bucket List can be found here: https://reviewsbysaph.blogspot.com/p/live-song-bucket-list.html. There are a lot of concerts missing (I attended several in 2022 and 2023 but haven't had time to add them to the list) but I hope to get back to the list soon.


My Rating: