The memory of roses by Blair Mcdowell

Title: The memory of roses

Author: Blair Mcdowell

Publisher: Rebel Ink Press

Pages: 308

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Source: Review copy

Summary

Brit McQuaid has had a very bad year.  First, her heart is broken when her relationship with her professor ends because of his lies and infidelity. Then her father dies and leaves her a villa on the Greek Island of Corfu, and a deep mystery to solve; in his last letter to her, he asks Brit to find the woman he profoundly loved on Corfu many years ago, shocking Brit with the realization that her adored father  had cheated on her mother.How could her father have owned a house that Brit knew nothing about? Why was he unfaithful to her mother? Who is this woman named Maria? And what is in the mysterious package?

To find answers, Brit must travel to Corfu, open a villa that has been closed for many years, and locate Maria Calbrese, the great love of her father’s life.

In the course of her voyage of discovery, Brit meets the man she could lose her heart to and begins to understand that, while passion can rule one’s actions, real love can neither be dictated by propriety nor measured by moments of passion. Real love may involve sacrifice, or at least the willingness to give up one’s own hope of happiness for the good of another’s.  Her father knew this truth.

Review:

This is a tale of a woman's journey in search of answers that haunts her..Her shock as a daughter when she finds out that her father had an affair with a woman whom he loved deeply, a villa that he owned which she didn't know..To solve all the riddles and to get over her disappointing love life, she decides to travel to Corfu a beautiful island..Her father believed that  Brit would find peace living there...To her pleasant surprise she meets some lovely people, handsome Andreas who is head over heels in love with her...Slowly her life picks up in the villa, but she is still unable to trust men, she keeps Andreas at bay until she realises that love has no boundaries  it tends to reach out beyond horizons..She also finds everything about Maria and her father letting her to settle things...For a brief time Brit is set apart as she discovers that her father had sacrificed his love for the sake of his daughter..The book has many feel good factors, the equation between Andreas and Brit is contagious..The book serves as a great travelogue in terms of Greece, the beauty come across even as I read...The book had a great beginning then somehow ebbed away but then picked up as Brit continues upon her personal discovery on her life ..Brit character is built on well, career oriented, talented woman whose life goes haywire as she loses trust upon men first her boy friend next her father, but slowly comes in terms with everything around her reviving her lost life and finding love in  Andreas..Andreas is a deligtful character he is intelligent, genuine, caring and deeply in love with Brit..Inspite of Brit's hesitance he manages to win her trust and love...The past and present in amazingly woven in the villa first through Brit's father and later through Brit herself..Finally Maria solves all her riddles letting her at peace...The villa becomes lover's paradise with a happy ending tale...

Note:
Review copy of this book was provided to be through Bewitching blog tours...

Bachelorette Project by Tami Anthony

Title: Bachelorette Project
Author: Tami Anthony
Pages: 263
Price: $9.99
Genre:Chick lit/ Woman's Fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Source: Blog tour

Buy bachelorette Project from Amazon.com

Summary:
When an unfortunate twist of fate leaves 28 year-old socialite Leslee Robinson broken-hearted and unemployed, she embarks on a journey to discover what boggles every twenty-something single woman's mind: What do men really want how do you find the perfect mate? The Bachelorette Project, a scientific dating experiment designed to uncover the enigma of the male species.
With unbelievable twists and a contemporary, comedic Chick-Lit feel, The Bachelorette Project is the chronicle of a single woman’s journey to finding true friendship, discovering herself, and learning the enigma of love down to a science

Review:
Chick lit is not my kind of genre and this was the main reason I signed up for the blog tour and it turned out to be a contemporary love story too..The book was a breezy read...The plot is frisky and there were hilarious instances..I was amused at Leslee's disastrous dates one with a foot fetish another with a mob leader..Though the Bachelorette project that Leslee sets out to experiment was a bit let down for me,and many a times she got me irritating, but I loved the way Tami brought up her character from a Chick who bothered more about her designer label to big mansion that she dreamnt of having some day with a wealthy husband, into an independent woman of substance ;and by the end I started to like her even more...I guess at some point every woman goes through the phase of Leslee on prioritizing  life and to make decisions..Leslee is a natural in match making those instance of her helping Karen's cousins reminded me of my friends who could judge people with one shot...Through Eric Tami rightly points out that a woman loses her stuff when she becomes desperate....While the main focus of the book is romance there is a strong line on friendship that holds her together during her worst moment both in Manhattan and back home Philly....After all friendship stands the test of time..Eric the hero is warm friend I don't want to describe the other traits that Leslee goes on and on about in this story.. I wish I had more of Eric and Les's plot , those were really good part of the novel..Karen Leslee's annoyingly irritating best friend is too caring and loving to be ignorant even ad-mist her busy wedding preparation..Annie single mother who also helps Leslee with her project is another character ,who is not a kind of characters that one gets to read inn all novels..Russ and Karen make a wonderful pair who inspite of the hard fight end up loving more than before...All characters were appealing even those who had  cameo..All in all  Bachelorette project was humorous, thoroughly entertaining for a quick read for an unwinding day...The novel has a lot of drama that many might love and of course it ends in a happy  note where Leslee ends up with great hope for the future with a wonderful life partner...

Now here goes the excerpt:

Why am I always getting dumped by men?” I ask Karen. “It’s because I know nothing about them.”

“OK …” Karen replies, unsure to where I’m going with all of this.

“So, my visit to the hospital really got me thinking,” I say, “and then I remember you using the word ‘experiment’ so then I thought … ‘EXPERIMENT!’” I exclaim. “It’s a genius idea! I can conduct this experiment on what men really want out of women and how I, the quintessential single woman, could give it to them and possibly find my true love!” I clutch my chest, smile, and spin around. “Isn’t that the most perfect idea that you ever heard? I would be like a scientist, a scientist of love.”

Karen rolls her eyes at my idea. “And how, O Great One, will you conduct this experiment?”

“I got it all planned out.” I pull my completed poster board from underneath my bed and I hold it up for Karen to see. She, once again, looks confused.

“What the hell is that?” she asks, sighing.

“It’s my experiment,” I say excitedly. “I’m going scientific on their asses. It’s called ‘The BACHELORETTE Project.’ How I will conduct the experiment is shown here.” I point to the different sections of the board. “I will go on a series of dates using different tactics in different environments to find out what works for women and what doesn’t.”

“I’m listening,” Karen says as she leans forward.

“In the process, I will study the men that I date, categorize them and see what their likes and dislikes are thereby unlocking the many secrets of the male species.”

“Oh, I can tell you the secrets of men,” Karen says, smirking. “It’s sex, food, video games, and sports. If a man has those four things, then he’s a happy man.” I guess that makes sense. You know, the ‘four things philosophy,’ but I’m just certain that there has to be more. It can’t be that easy or I wouldn’t be single … right?

“Well, I’m still conducting my experiment,” I say confidently. “Maybe there are more than just four secrets. Maybe there are seven secrets.” As I nod my head, I convince myself that there has to be more. Not everything is just sex, food, video games, and sports.

”All right,” Karen starts, “so when does your little experiment start?”

“As soon as possible,” I tell her. “Now all I need is a trusty assistant …”

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review ..This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

About the author:

Tami Anthony is an author, a playwright, and the beautiful mind

 behind Pink Butterfly Publications, a publishing company devoted 

to female-driven literature. She is a graduate of Rutgers University

 with a Bachelor’s in English Literature and Theatre Arts. Tami

 presently resides outside of Philadelphia with her son and is 

currently working on her second novel and future plays.

The praise of motherhood by Phil Jourdan

Title: The praise of Motherhood
Author: Phil Jourdan
Publisher: Zero books
Pages: 136
Price: $ 9.97
ISBN: 9781780992648
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Blog tour

Buy Praise of motherhood from amazon.com

Summary:
This book is a son's tribute to the woman who not only gave him life, but helped him live: through various psychotic breakdowns, tumultuous teenage years, and years of feeling out of place in the world.

Review:
Relationship between mother and her child is always a special., no matter what type it could be attributed to..Some lucky share a blissful one, others a marginal one some worse, yet this single relation in life is a defining one for good or for worse...This book is a haunting memoir I would say..Haunting because it raises several questions about the grey shades of life..It left me numb at certain places..I was moving around Phil's home sharing their boxes of discussions with tea along her mother Sophia, becoming a silent member when Phil describes his writings to her, at times pacing fast along Phil in urgency to find out what was going on in his mind...Freudian theory, some interpretations and a lot of philosophy runs through the book characterizing Phil...At places the writing creates a agonizing vibe within the reader when Phil talks fast, screams and feels miserable with his high powered hallucination , he is unable to get rid off..Sophia had a Himalayan task at her disposal .,coping with a difficult son, that Phil was with utter patience and a lot of love, I would say  unconditional love, that kept Phil from falling off  the edge...Phil doesn't literally praise his mother, but it is  evident in every simple act of hers , in every caress and cook of hers, every single meal that she prepared , every single conversation she held with her son...Though a lack of father figure, a hero left him with a void in him, Sophia walked beyond the horizon to help him out and figure out his life himself..
The book is not an absolute page turner nor there are interesting twisting plots, yet it stands apart with Phil's  simple and elegant portrayal of his mother... In Phil's word  she is "Love personified"..For anyone who reads would find this memoir to be heart rendering...After reading the book neither Phil nor Sophia linger around as two characters but as a single phrase with both embedded together.. Sophia's loving call Kiddo too stays on...The book went on to a perfect 5 on 5 in certain places but at certain place it lacked pace , may be that was what intended by the author so that the reader would take things slow ,relishing every word of it, making it a more lovely saga...The numbness in him is obvious after his mother's death and it is evident in his thought..
"Mother was dead but there was still food in her fridge. What do you do with a dead woman’s food? You don’t eat it. That is like eating death itself. I gave it all to the dogs."
I loved this the author's writing for his  pathetic honesty and portraying darker shades of human with ease....Good read stated this to be the most expectant debutante novel of the year and I have no doubt about it..

Note:
I received a copy of the book as a part of blog tour by novel publicity & co, however it has not affected my thoughts about the book in any way..These are my personal thought about the book..

The book of Paul by Richard long

Title: The book of Paul
Author: Richard Long
Publishers: Open eyes
Pages:480
Price: $17.95
ISBN:978-0615648644
Genre: Thriller
Rating:4 out of 5
Source: novelpublicity.com

Buy The book of Paul from Amazon

Summary:

When a lusty, East Village tattoo artist has a torrid encounter with a battle-hardened loner, they are overwhelmed by the intensity of their feelings.  Rose and Martin soon discover they are unwitting pawns on opposing sides of a battle that has shaped the course of human history.  At the center of the conflict is Paul, the villainous overlord of an underground feudal society, who guards the book’s occult secrets in preparation for the fulfillment of an apocalyptic prophecy.

The action is relentless as Martin and Rose fight to escape Paul’s clutches and Martin’s destiny as the chosen recipient of Paul’s sinister legacy.  Science and magic, mythology and technology converge in a monumental battle where the stakes couldn’t be higher: control of the ultimate power in the universe—the Maelstrom.

Review:

 Have you ever wondered what it would be like sprinting a marathon?? If not just read the book..This book is a sprinter from page one an absolute page turner...There are secrets to be kept and mysteries to be unlocked, lives to be saved and fight one's destiny...Life long feud between Clan O'Neil and that of Kelly's..Many a life is fallen apart by ruthless Paul at childhood that includes Rose Queen ...When I started reading my mind was prepared for a thriller now wait there comes romance okay so I thought it has romance oh no there comes some myths  and physical torturing and some childhood trauma by now my mind was used to expect the unexpected from the book.This book is a complete page turner..I developed a liking for Martin as much I felt a kind of detest..Martin goes through hell from childhood, knowing love only when he meets Rose a weird tattoo artist by call of destiny, on the other hand Paul is indifferent to any kind of human feelings even has he trains his son and hunting them others he exhibits a detachment to every act even as he kisses his son on forehead or when he takes of someones head or slit someone's throat oh did I just say all those things!! that is exactly all these actions are performed as a matter of fact....William is Martin's blood brother as he latter finds is a curious collector,whose curious leads him to all kind of trouble , the novel moves through his point of view, his knowledge in many fields keeps the gripped to the story all together..As you read through I felt nothing can be out of bound as far as this book is concerned..Reading through the book made me to research on the history of  many of the things described in the book for instance Antropodermic bibliopegy (book made of human skin) I won't spoil the fun by pointing out the others.All characters are wonderfully depicted distinct in their charcater portrayal, Paul by selfishness, arrogance and pride, Martin by courage,trust, compassion., Rose with her weirdness, craziness, love ,lust and  skill while William is all curious to his talent,enthusiastic  learner, ardent friend and brother...The book of Paul is an absolute complete page turner, in that aspect this book did a wonderful job letting me enjoy further reading...The language is crisp, easy and flowing..The chapters are short letting the reader sink into each part of web the author weaves very comfortable..The author is able to hold on the mystery as long as he wishes , spilling the beans at his pace ..Only thing I would have loved to read more on mystical connections between Hermes Trismegistus in ancient Egypt, Sophia, the female counterpart of Christ, and the Celtic druids of Clan Kelly, I guess that would be in next book perhaps...Omen, Tarot cards,mystery, murder,tortured angel, cold blood murder, pain,endurance, lust, love, trust, betrayal, science, myth now what more can the reader ask in a single novel..This has a bit of everyting not one in particular that is the unique part of the novel...  and needless to say this is an amazing start for seven volume sequel..
To win $100, a tarot card reading and signed copies of 
The book of paul .,click here

With sequel lined up this is definitely going to be my fourth entry to Jule's new author  reading challenge 

Note:

I received a copy of the book as a participant in a promo event by novelpublicity.com, however my verdict are based on my personal thoughts ..