Author: Sydney Winward

Interview with Author Kylie Malchus

Kylie, I’m so excited to have you on my blog today! I want to ask you more about your book, Six Wings. I think we can all agree that Reese is adorable in his snarky, sarcastic way. Did his character come out the way you wanted it to? What was your inspiration for him?

Thank you! And thanks so much for having me, Sydney! I think I must have multiple personalities (maybe all authors do šŸ˜…), because all my characters seem to stem from different sides of my own personality. Reese seems to be born of some of my worst characteristics. For some background, I had just finished my previous novel, Aura, which had a very different feelā€”it was a modern-day fairy tale with characters who were meant to be loveable. Thereā€™s a time and place for that but, for me, writing with the goal of ā€œI want people to love my charactersā€ added some unnecessary pressure.

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of Soldier Under the Mistletoe

My Review

I really like the premise of this book. Mallory wants to take over the ranch. Her brother’s best friend, Sam (Maverick), yearns for a life of freedom in the military. How can they overcome their desire and compromise enough to make it work with each other? Not to mention the brother… Will he let his best friend and sister have a future together?

It’s kind of like a Hallmark movie, except one of the good ones. I do feel like it ended way too abruptly, though the author continued it in a second rendition, which I did not like quite as much. And the mistletoe seems like it should have played a big part in the story, but there was no mistletoe. Rather, Mallory kept playfully insinuating that they should kiss under one. But as far as short stories go, I enjoyed reading it. Although I feel like Mallory was more one-dimensional, Sam was written very well, a fleshed-out character with believable motives spurred by a horrific past.

I love that this is a clean, wholesome romance, with a cute love story and great romance scenes. The author definitely left a mystery in regards to the brother, Cash, and his mystery woman. I am interested in reading more of this author’s work.

My rating: 3 Stars

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of The Eidola Project

My Review

I can’t say a book has ever given me some weird dreams before. The Eidola Project has a chilling mix of supernatural, paranormal, and mysterious elements to the story. The characters were interesting, being introduced one by one and coming together to form a group that exposed the supernatural, whether real or fake.

The ending was completely unexpected, but satisfying all the same. The author certainly has a way with words, as the book is very well-written with suspense glued to each page.

My rating: 4 stars

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of Flight of the Raven

My Review

Emma’s family curse has transcended generations, killing the woman in childbirth if the child had been conceived without love. Not a single one of her ancestors had survived childbirth, not even her own mother. Despite marrying William, Emma is determined to keep herself alive by avoiding intimacy with him.

The storyline is intriguing, with a bit of mystery weaved throughout the book. I enjoyed the small bits of magic, and I’m especially curious about Wulfstan and where his own story is headed. Great ending! Plenty of action and exciting twists.

My rating: 4 stars

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of Transforming Emma

My Review

Emma Wallache fulfills her late mother’s desire of learning the ways of society. After spending a year and a half with her aunt in the city, she returns to her small hometown, new and reformed. Brett Haynes is shocked that the girl he had been in love with had come back a completely different woman. But maybe not quite as different as he originally thought…

I love the way this author writes. The descriptive details put me right there in the story, the plot gripping and making me forget I was reading at all. It was enjoyable to turn page after page, the story not once slipping into boring drudgery. I liked this book quite a lot, and I’ll definitely be adding more of this author’s books on my TBR list.

My rating: 4.5 stars

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of Devil’s Food Ripple with a Cherry on Top

My Review

Oh wow, what a fun read! I couldn’t stop turning the pages, eager as I was for more Fenady and Seb. The banter between them was so fun, I couldn’t help but be swept up in the story as it unfolded and the chemistry sizzling on each and every page. Devil’s Food Ripple with a Cherry on Top is hilarious and entertaining. I highly recommend this fun novella!

My rating: 5 stars

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by Sydney Winward

My Silliest Pet Peeves

The Sunlight Getting in My Eyes

When I’m driving or the sunlight reflects of my shiny (REALLY SHINY) kitchen floor and gets in my eyes, it makes me so mad! I’d rather my earphones get caught on something and tugged out of my ears lol!

My Waistband Loops Getting Caught on Door Handles

I’m just the right height for my hips and door handles to align. If I had a dollar for every time my waistband loops got caught on the door handle…

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of Lord of Time by Michele Amitrani

“Timeā€™s a trickster. Reign over it, or be reigned over by it.”

I expected this to be a book full of awesome action and epic time lording with sci-fi or fantasy elements, but I’m surprised it turned out to be more philosophical than anything. Lots of deep questions to ponder. Plenty of self-searching and understanding ourselves in the world we live in. Interesting concept. Thought-provoking. It takes me back to my philosophy classes in college.

The author puts his thoughts about the concept of time in fiction form. This was well-written with interesting characters and a twist at the end I didn’t see coming.

Although I was disappointed that this book turned out to be something I was not expecting, and I kept waiting for something awesome to happen, it was still pretty good.

My rating: 3.5 stars

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by Sydney Winward