Tag Archives: witch

February 7, 2024 · 7:00 am

I’ll Melt Your Heart: An Opposites Attract Winter Romance Story by Alena Ryu (Book Review)

Sienna lives in a world where magic is a privilege for the rich and noble.
And Sienna is neither.

She is hunted by people who want to take away her powers; if they succeed, she will lose her ability to feel emotions. Then one fateful day, there’s a knock on her door…

As she escapes, Sienna falls into the arms of a handsome and mysterious man, a noble count who has no reason to help her. Or does he?

The count offers Sienna a deal—the kind she can’t refuse.

I’ll Melt Your Heart is a cozy romance story about two unlikely companions embarking on a journey to change their past and find their future.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Sienna Lynn, aka Catherine Starr, has been on the run from the Seventh Division since she was sixteen. Why? Because she was illegally in possession of magic. Magic was only intended for nobility to use. Anyone else caught using magic would arrested and turned into a “pacified one.” This means the purified ones couldn’t hate or love after the Rite of Purification. They were described as the living dead, obedient only to the imperial house. 

Sienna/Catherine, a witch, tried to hide from Nelson, the exorcist, and the gendarmes, but they still caught up to her, thanks to her so-called friends. Since she couldn’t trust her “friends,” it was no wonder she didn’t trust her savior, Count Adam Darkwood. Adam was upfront that he was using her for her fire magic. No, he didn’t want to stay warm 24-7 like her. Instead, Adam needed Catherine/Sienna’s magic for the wishing well. Adam’s wish will remain hidden until you read the story. I will say this much: at Darkwood Hall, there laid a wishing well surrounded by demons. A wish is granted if you’re willing to pay the price: give up your magic. Adam wanted to offer up Sienna’s magic instead of his own.

A spark began to form as the count and the witch traveled on a train and then on foot. Of course, they didn’t truly realize how much the other meant to them until their backs were against the wall and demons attacked from all sides. Speaking of demons, I would love to see a sketch of the huge gray lizard with orange crystals protruding from its back. Just a sketch, though. I would not like to face off with it or any other demon found in the “cursed ruins.” I would, though, like to possess Sienna’s power since I always have trouble staying warm.

I’ll Melt Your Heart is a cozy, opposites-attract romance story that has magical elements and evil in the form of humans and demons. There are zero curse words and explicit scenes, making it perfect for teens and adults. It doesn’t have a cliffhanger, either.

If you love reading fantasy, romance, or magical stories, check out I’ll Melt Your Heart! Watch as Sienna/Catherine melts Adam’s frozen heart without using her fire power and as Adam shows Sienna/Catherine that it’s okay to trust again. 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

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Meet the Author

Alena has always been passionate about books and wrote her first fantasy novel when she was fourteen. Alena has lived in Japan, Turkey, and Russia before moving to the United States. Her international experiences are reflected in the captivating stories about finding love, friendship, and purpose.

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January 22, 2024 · 7:00 am

Mikey’s Treasure (Mikey’s Adventure) by Missy Moe Hap (Book Review)

Mikey is an uncut key;
He dreams of belonging to a lock that guards treasure.
His dream comes true,
But not how he expected.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Mikey was the smallest uncut key at the Green Moss corner shop with one repetitious daydream: he wanted to be the key to a treasure chest. One day, after a frightful encounter with a mechanical monster with sharp teeth, he danced joyfully to discover his daydream might actually come true. Before him was a real pirate, or so Mikey thought. When Mikey slid down into George’s pocket, or the pirate, as Mikey could call him, he quickly found he was not alone. I didn’t think giving ordinary keys a distinct personality was possible, but the illustrator made each key stand out. Pembroke looked adorable with his gray mustache, monocle, and black suit. He looked very British! Snobby’s shading to his head reminded me of a car tire, so I was not shocked to discover he was a car key. 

Pembroke, Snobby, and Dotty each knew their purpose for George, but what was Mikey’s? Patience is a virtue, but curiosity also killed the cat. Mikey’s lack of patience came with consequences. The tiny key didn’t want to wait and see what he unlocked, so he left the safe confines of a pocket and soon found himself captured in a magpie’s beak. However, luck proved to be on Mikey’s side, and everything worked out. 

Without giving away the touching ending, I will say that Mikey’s purpose, what important treasure he guarded, will touch many hearts—if not children, then definitely adults. Besides being a heartwarming story, it’s an interactive book, too. Once you finish the book, the writer asks for your help finding the 20 hidden keys. Admittedly, I was so impressed with the central illustrations and text that the hidden keys escaped my notice. Of course, knowing they were out there, I had to scan each page to locate each one. What a fun game! Kids will love the story and hunting for the 20 keys! 

I recommend this story for children three years and older. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

 

Meet the Author

Mother of two background in construction I gave a copy of the manuscript to my friends daughter. She loved the story but asked where’s the pictures. So I turned it into a book.

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October 16, 2023 · 7:00 am

A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip by Nicky Edwards (Book Review)

One memorable Halloween Turnip, a rabbit, finds a hat and decides with the help of her animal friends, to keep it.

But the hat’s owner is a witch, and she needs it back to protect her cat friend, Pudding.

The witch and Pudding hunt for the hat and find Turnip and demand it back but the animals invoke the woodland lore of ‘Finders Keepers’ and call a woodland court to determine who should have the hat.

At the court we discover that the hat speaks, and it tells of being stuffed with magic and used as a cushion and poked with pins. Outraged the court decides Turnip should keep the hat.

That night, after a long talk, Turnip and the hat decide the hat should return to the witch on condition that it is treated well. The witch is so grateful she invites Turnip to become her apprentice.

The story celebrates friendship, compassion, and discovering one’s inner magic.


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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip is home to many spectacular characters. Pudding is a witch’s cat, her familiar, and a remarkable inventor. They developed a stroking machine to have pets as they lay in their cat’s bed and drift off to sleep. They created a cat-cloak of invisibility and a dog-repellent whistle. Since Pudding was a witch’s cat, every invention possessed some magic; thus, his creations got a mind of their own, like the self-winding ball of wool. Pudding is a very cool cat! 

Esme, the witch, has several problems she’s dealing with as the story progresses. First, she has overstuffed her hat with magic, and now it won’t fit over her thick hair. Not surprisingly, Esme fixed the hairy situation with magic. Next, she had a dreadful time keeping her broom in flight against the fierce easterly winds. Then came the misfortune of losing her hat, thanks to a gust of wind. Esme’s loss did become Turnip’s (the rabbit) gain. Turnip looked oddly adorable in human clothing. Clothing was fair game since humans either left it or lost the articles of clothing in Hare Wood, and the woodland animals live by the rule, “Finders Keepers.”

It didn’t take Turnip long to discover he found a witch’s hat, and with his friends’ encouragement, he invoked the sacred lore of the woodland: “Finders’ keepers, losers’ weepers.” While the three woodsy animals were off to a party, Esme had a major freak-out. This leads to another, more significant problem. 

Esme’s problems seem to compound while at the All Witches Eve celebration. Now, she must retrieve her hat or suffer the consequences. Kids will find the story captivating. The plot was wildly inventive. The sketches add the right amount of visual stimuli to keep all readers’ eyes glued to the pages, curious about who the Court will grant ownership of the magic hat. 

A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip teaches children that while having magic at your ready might be fun, there’s also a sense of joy, pride, and accomplishment when you construct something with your own hands. In a roundabout way, it also nudges readers regarding the importance of cleaning up and keeping track of your possessions because you don’t want the Finders Keepers rule to happen to you. 

I recommend A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip to children six years and older. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

Goodreads Link

 


Meet the Author

Hello, I’m Nic, and I’m delighted to introduce you to the first of my Hare Wood stories. Journey with Turnip as she embarks on an enchanting adventure after stumbling upon a witch’s hat. I’m excited to share the wonders of Hare Wood and eagerly await your thoughts and comments x.

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October 29, 2021 · 7:00 am

Peel Back and See by Mike Thorn (Book Review)

In spaces both familiar and strange, unknowable horrors lurk.

From the recesses of the Internet, where cosmic terror shows its face on an endless live feed, to a museum celebrating the sordid legacy of an occultist painter, this chilling collection of sixteen short stories will plunge you into the eerie, pessimistic imagination of Mike Thorn. Peel Back and See urges its readers to look closer, to push past surface-level appearances and face the things that stir below.

 

Amazon Purchase Link
Journalstone.com

 

(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

 

Peel Back and See is a collection of sixteen (16) short stories that are heavy on unforgettable encounters with hungry creatures, blood and gore, fear, Satan, and (weirdly enough) sexual arousal. 

Some stories stuck with me more than others. Below are my top five (5). 

1.) Mr. Mucata’s Final Requests: Everyone knows you don’t try to double-cross Satan. I mean, come on, don’t even try. Deals with him are also a bad idea. Seriously, the worst possible choice a person can make. If you believe in the devil, demons, and hell, say NO to anything offered. Period!

2.) @GorgoYama2013: We’re raised to know you NEVER go into a stranger’s car. Horror movies have ingrained in us to NEVER go into a strange basement, especially alone. Victor broke all the rules. What he met could best be described as a horrific version of Krang (the brain) from TMNT. If you don’t know who I am talking about, look him up! 

3.) Vomitus Bacchanalius: Okay, people are vomiting. Aliens are eating the regurgitated food. There are goo-faced men. Ugh, this story was gross, BUT good! I loved the nod to Gordon Ramsay too. 🙂

4.) The Furnace Room Mutant: This story stood out more because you’d think an unnatural being would be the monster in the story. I like it when authors step out from the paranormal norm. 🙂

5.) Havoc: This was the first story in the collection, and it made me close my laptop and take one giant step back from it. Read the story, and you’ll understand why. There was only one part I wasn’t too keen on — a flashback scene between student and teacher. I don’t want to divulge too much, but it made my score drop from a five to a four. (for this story only, not the overall score of the anthology)

 

 In Peel Back and See, thirteen of the sixteen stories scored three and above. That’s impressive! I encourage others to read the collection and see which story has you cowering under the covers. 


Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link
Journalstone.com

 

 

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Mike Thorn is the author of the short story collection Darkest Hours. His fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, anthologies and podcasts, including Vastarien, Dark Moon Digest, The NoSleep Podcast, Tales to Terrify, and Prairie Gothic. His film criticism has been published in MUBI Notebook, The Film Stage, and Vague Visages. He completed his M.A. with a major in English literature at the University of Calgary, where he wrote a thesis on epistemophobia in John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness.

Connect with him on Twitter (@MikeThornWrites) or visit his website for more information: mikethornwrites.com.

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October 12, 2021 · 7:00 am

Bobos Babes Adventures: A Magical Halloween by Karen Bobos (Book Review / Guest Post)

BOBOS BABES ADVENTURES: A MAGICAL HALLOWEED by Karen Bobos

 
It’s Halloween time in the land of Harmony, and the Bobos Babes are ready for some fun!

When Angel Scarlett, Fairy Cora, and Princess Daphne visit Lily the Ladybug’s Boutique to look for Halloween costumes, they find Lily has left aside three special masks for them. The ladybug informs the sisters that they must wait until noon on Halloween to try on the mysterious masks but assures them they will have the best costumes in all of the land of Harmony.
The sisters can hardly wait, counting down the minutes on Halloween until they can don their curious masks. When the time comes, they learn their secret masks are enchanted, and the girls are magically transformed into the costumes of their dreams.

 
​After a fun outing Trick-or-Treating, the little monster, witch, and ghost — or sisters — agree that this was the best Halloween of all.
 
 
Buy the Book
Amazon ~ B&N
Bobos Babes
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Children love Halloween. They adore selecting a costume, the excitement of getting candy, the decorations, and watching their loot grow with each knock on a door. 


While most kids can’t wait to dig into their stash, first, they must select what to wear on the spookiest night of the year. If your child is like mine, they start planning months in advance and change their mind about a thousand times. 


However, when the big night comes, they wake up and immediately dress up. Halloween allows their imagination to flourish, and it’s a magical day and night. 


Bobos Babes Adventures: A Magical Halloween by Karen Bobos made Halloween an even more magical event by allowing the sisters to transform into whatever mask they chose for the evening. 


Imagine if a kid put on a Hulk mask and then became the Hulk. I can already see my daughter transforming into a little Loki. 😀


If you’re like me and love reading holiday stories with your child, then I highly recommend picking up Bobos Babes Adventures: A Magical Halloween. The story is cute, and so are the illustrations. We especially liked the blue monster covered in pink dimples. 
 

Great job, Karen M. Bobos (author) and Jazinel Libranda (illustrator)!

Happy Halloween! 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
AUTHOR KAREN BOBOS

 
Bobos began writing poetry and stories at the early age of ten. She is a life-long Chicagoan who now raises her family in the downtown area. During the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, Chicago also became a city of unrest. Trying to keep her three young daughters in a world of magic during such scary times, the Bobos Babes Adventures were born. Her goal was to create a world of Harmony for her family and hopefully for others to escape, even if only for a moment. The first book of the series, The Case of the Giggles, was published in December 2020. The Missing Egg launched in March 2021. The The Lion’s Secret was published in June 2021, a tribute to her mother and late father’s incredible love story.  The Lovey that Came to Life and The Bobcat Birthday party will be releasing in the upcoming months.​
 
 
 
 
Creating a Harmonious World During a Life of Chaos
 
 
My family lives downtown Chicago. You can literally see the John Hancock out of our dining room window. During the beginning of the pandemic, we spent months in our condo without a balcony. I was definitely feeling cabin fever once we hit week three of not leaving the house.
 
 fIn May 2020, Chicago became a city of unrest. With the protests and riots directly out our front door, my husband and I packed up the family and escaped to my mother’s home in Northwest Indiana. We had one goal in mind: keep our daughters in a magical, beautiful world when the real world was in a state of chaos.
 
Once we arrived at my mother’s home, I worked night and day to clean her unfinished basement. Then I covered her walls with white rolling paper and put pink plush throw rugs on the floor. Living in a condo, we don’t have a basement or separate play area, so I wanted this to be incredibly special for them. I bought my daughters a pretend store, a little play coffee shop, and a cute kid’s pop-up ice cream shop. I designed signs that said Daphne’s Dynamite Deals, Scarlett’s Sweets, and Cora’s Coffee Shop. I put a Disney Barbie house in the corner and bought princess wall applications to stick to my white paper walls. I made a little lounge area and put tons of books for them relax and read. In the center, there was a little pink and white table. In the back of the basement, I created a little art studio for the girls to be as creative as they liked. At the entrance of it all, I put a sign that said “Bobos Babes’ World,” and we surprised the girls with this fun world to play in when the rest of the word was at a standstill.
 
My wellness company was barely operating. While I probably secretly cried most nights living in fear of the unknown, this was my outlet. Not only was this a project of making “Bobos Babes World” for the girls, but it a huge distraction for me as I wondered what was to come of our life and my career.
 
About a month later, I wrote “The Case of the Giggles” as a night time story to entertain my girls. They were the main characters with magical powers. My dad, who passed in 2016 was a main character and so was my mother. I made our Bernese Mountain dog, Luke, who is abnormally large for the breed, even bigger in my story. The girls rode him all over their magical land. The magical land was called Harmony because I desperately needed to have this land be somewhere where everyone co-existed and got along. We craved a land filled with love especially with what was going on in the world. Scarlett suggested that I write a new story every Friday. Her deadline was just the motivation that I needed to get my Bobos Babes Adventures on their way.
 
So that’s how the Bobos Babes Adventures started. But the best part is, if you ask my daughters about the pandemic and all the chaos that happened in 2020, they just remember our entire family at Gigi’s house, playing in her backyard, running through sprinklers, playing in this magical world their mom created for them in the basement and getting a new story every night starring them. Mission accomplished.
 
 
connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
 

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