Review - Faith, Hope and Reindeer

Title: Faith, Hope and Reindeer

Author: Joe Moore as told to by Santa Claus

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Santa Claus has treated many of the Moores kindly. He inspired Clement Clark Moore into writing one of the most beloved poems in literary history. And now he has asked Joe Moore to write Santa's memoirs about several families who have visited him, the North Pole and its people.
~
But this book is much more then a novel about Santa Claus. It is about families who have struggled through life and its adversities and are in need of a booster shot of Faith. It is about all of us who struggle in life, but never dare to give up Hope. And of course it is about the North Pole and the goings on in this magical land, including the elves and Reindeer.

Follow the story of the Gradys and other families as they take a magical journey that will change their lives forever.

This book will not only answer the questions you have about Santa Claus, but it will bring the true magic and meaning of Christmas into your life; regardless of the month or season. Return to a time when you knew it was all real.

Believe all over again and visit this magical land to get your own booster shot of Faith, Hope & Reindeer.

Come believe, again.

My Review:

Delightfully Heartfelt.
~*~*~
When I first received an e-mail from none other than Santa Claus asking me to read this, I was shocked. I thought, 'Santa is really sending me an e-mail?' And then I thought, 'This is super awesome!' I mean it's Santa Claus!!!! 
~*~
This story was truly heartwarming and special. It delivers great insight to the NorthPole, the activities up there, the elves, and of course Santa himself. The story revolves around the Grady family, who receives a package indicating that they have won a trip to Alaska for the Christmas break. Upon traveling they discover they are actually headed to go visit Santa Claus, along with a few other select families. While at the NorthPole they all have these incredible experiences: visiting the shops, seeing the Aurora Borealis, conversing with all of the elves and learning about the Pole and Santa. And of course visiting with Santa himself. 
Faith, Hope, and Reindeer makes you relive your adolescence, and yearn for those innocent childhood days full of magic, hope, faith, love, and of course Santa Claus, while teaching you the true meaning of Christmas. It was just a superb tale. 


My Rating:
An Amazing Wedding Cake

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Review - A Lost and Found Land

Title: A Lost and Found Land

Author: Rick Sand

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Irving Davies finds a magical key buried beneath a heap of used retainers in the school’s lost and found box. The key unlocks a gateway to another world – one away from dodge ball “accidents,” disinterested parents, and his boring English class.

Irving’s idea of paradise is lost inside a maze of moving trees, when he is separated from Emily, his best friend and loyal protector, who tagged along to keep him out of trouble. Their roles are reversed when Emily is captured by a moderately evil and excessively insecure preteen witch, who is determined to permanently enslave Emily as her new “best friend.”

In his race to rescue Emily, Irving must play doctor to a band of hypochondriac giants, escape a mounted cavalry of witchdoctor monkeys in a haunted forest, outsmart a trickster troll, navigate a giant underground ant farm, challenge the dreaded bright-eye beast, and enlist the aid of a goofy ranger girl that commits acts of near-super-human derring-do without losing any of her femininity.

As vultures circle overhead and the obstacles seem unending, will Irving find the strength to overcome the mighty power of the witch?

My Review:

What an adorable, fun, and exciting read! This is definitely one of those stories every child should read. It was full of laughter, danger, and it even had some good morals.

While some younger children might get a bit frightened during the latter half of the book, I think it would be perfect for 9-13 year olds. My favorite part of the book was when Irving met the dwarves who have the most ingenious little names! I loved how they were named after food - for example: Pumpkin Olive-Jam, Mustard Cherry-Milk, and my personal favorite Raspberry Bacon-Taco.  And that their food had human names! Who wouldn't to eat some Mashed Lindas and Tom.

Overall I thought it was a very clever book, that in the end taught children the importance of friendship and over coming your fears. 5 stars.

My Rating:

An amazing wedding cake

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Review! The Forgotten Echo

[Check out my Author Interview With Jen Wylie, Author Of The Forgotten Echo!]

Book Info:

The Forgotten Echo

A Short Story

Published Feb 23 2011 by Echelon Press

Top seller and top rated on OmniLit eBooks site.

Author: Jen Wylie

Synopsis:

Sometimes death is only the beginning... 

Even after the bad day she's had, Cassy is still surprised to find herself shot, an innocent bystander in a drive by shooting. Bleeding to death in an empty parking lot, she knows she is going die. 

What she doesn't expect, is the arrival of a strange, and unnaturally handsome, man who tells her he can keep her from passing on in return for being his forever. In desperation, she agrees but afterwards she is beyond dismayed to discover she has died.

To make matters worse, the stranger has disappeared, leaving her spirit to wander through a series of worlds unknown to her. Her existence is one of fear and loneliness, until she meets another like her and discovers she's not a ghost at all but something much more.

Excerpt:

Maybe if I hadn't turned to look I would have been alright. Well, maybe not. Things would have been different if I hadn't stopped to get milk. If I hadn't worked late I wouldn't have stopped at this particular corner store on my way home. If I'd been quicker, or longer, inside the store, I wouldn't have walked into the middle of a gang fight. If...if...if... 

I barely made it to the parking lot before the yelling and shooting started. A car sped by, passengers shooting at their rivals two feet from me. In reflex, I turned as the car passed. A bullet ripped through me like a punch to the stomach. The force knocked me up against the side of a van. 

I looked down in, yes, surprise. I don't know what kind of guns they had, but the shot went right through me. Gasping in panic, I stared in shock at the blood blossoming through my white blouse. Pain radiated from the exit wound in my lower back. Shit. This couldn't be happening! 

The street kids shouted obscenities. Another shot echoed in the night. Ducking instinctively, I slipped around the back of the van. I had to get to my car, find safety. 

I stumbled, leaving bloody handprints on a few cars. I'd been shot. Things like this weren't supposed to happen. My brain refused to believe it. I didn't make it far. Everything spun, fading in and out. Shit. Somewhere I dropped my purse. My keys were in there. Damn dress pants with no decent pockets. 

When did I fall to my knees? I toppled to the hard asphalt and rolled to my back. I instinctively pressed my wound, trying to stop the warm, sticky blood pumping from me. 

The pain twisted around and through me, but dim and distant, like it wasn't mine at all. I certainly wasn't going to argue. I didn't have anyone to argue with anyway. 

Screams echoed from the store, but the parking lot remained quiet and empty. Except for me. 

Should I bother calling for help? I didn't waste my fading energy. First, they wouldn't hear me, not over the noise they were making. Second, I was dying. Not to be melodramatic, but seriously, I'd been shot. Blood coated my hands and poured from my wounds, running down my side, pooling beneath me. My blouse clung to my skin. 

My eyes closed and I heard the blood pumping out of me. My life's blood, as I'd heard it called once. 

Tears fell, cold on the side of my face. Damn it, I didn't want to die. I guess no one did, though. Death just happened. You could die any day, get struck by lightning, run over by a bus, or as in my case, caught in a drive-by shooting. 

Thankfully, I didn't have a family who needed me. My parents died years ago, and I hadn't spoken to my sister in Nevada in at least four years. No husband, no boyfriend...thank god, no children. No one to miss me. That hurt more than I expected. Dying alone. 

I'm afraid of dying. 

Afraid of what came next, if anything. I didn't want to simply end. I didn't want to be forgotten. 

I heard faint laughter, like bells and little children and angels. It made me smile. Which said something, since I was dying. Or was I dead already? 

The sound grew closer, but not very much louder. As I listened, I picked out tiny voices within the laughter. 

"Come, come!" 

"We found her! We did! We found her for you!" 

"Hurry, hurry!" 

Their words didn't make any sense, and the little voices tumbled over each other so I missed more than I actually heard. 

"It's time! Come, come!" 

I opened my eyes, not because I wanted to, but because dancing lights flickered though my lids and caught my attention. 

I shouldn't have been surprised, given the voices, to find a dozen tiny, glowing people surrounding me. They continued their constant babble, and one flew so close I saw its wings before it darted away again. 

They were no larger than a quarter, and were mostly wings. Their thin naked bodies glowed a pale gold, their wings beautiful rippling shades of orange and red. From even a short distance, they looked like little dancing flames. 

Other than a most interesting distraction from dying, I had no idea what they were. Would I know if I was dead?

"Quickly, quickly!"

 I wanted to close my eyes again. The cops hadn't arrived yet, but it felt like I'd been on the ground forever, losing myself. Bleeding away. I'd never been so frightened, so helpless, in my life. A strange calmness washed over me, likely since I couldn't help myself. Soon I would be dead. End of story. 

I watched the little dancing flames as I listened to my heart slow and my breathing turn shallow. Everything faded and the flames rose up, their angelic babble so loud and fast I couldn't understand them. 

I didn't need to. The person they'd been calling had arrived.

My Review:

This short story was absolutely incredible. I only wish it hadn't ended so soon. I loved Cassy (the M.C.) she actually reminded me a lot of myself. Quick witted and a bit of a smart ass, even when she knows she's gonna die. 

 Jen Wylie does a fantastic job of telling this unique tale from a first person perspective. Normally I am not a fan of the first person (I have read to many stories where there is too much description, not enough dialogue, and the story, overall, ends up being dry) but this is not the case with Jen Wylie's story.

Jen delivers a very fun and fast paced tale, which in the end left me with a want for more. Her imagery is unique and spot on. I could easily imagine it all in my head. I highly recommend this short story for anyone who is in the mood for an intriguing and fun read.

My Rating:

One Amazing Wedding Cake!

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