Category: Blog

One Scoop or Two: Vanilla with a Twist

Thanks for being on my blog today, Peggy! Why don’t you tell us more about your upcoming release, Vanilla with a Twist.

My newest book release, VANILLA WITH A TWIST, is part of the Wild Rose Press new summer series, One Scoop or Two. When the call went out to write a summer story about anything related to ice cream, I knew I had to submit something.

Most of my books are contemporary romances, RomComs, and small town stories about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

VANILLA WITH A TWIST is no exception.

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of Elizabeth Barrett and Cupid’s Brooch

My Review

I love the idea of being guided to your true love through a magic brooch. Although the brooch is ugly, it is so much more. I think its outward appearance would deter the haughty and the non-believers, but for those who truly believe in love, they might see the brooch for the magical item it really is.

I really enjoyed watching two people of different time periods try to learn about and fit into the new time period they had traveled to. The interactions between characters was amusing and had me laughing throughout the book. The author did an incredible job at transporting the reader into the story and allowed us to consider small details of everyday life we might not have paid attention to otherwise, especially when being transported back to 1812.

This book was fun and enjoyable to read, and I know others will enjoy it as well!

My rating: 5 Stars

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by Sydney Winward

Book Review of Monster Hunter International

My Review

This. Book. Was. Hilarious. Monster Hunter International just won 2020. Hands down.

When Owen Pitt gets attacked by his boss, who happens to be a werewolf, he is thrown into a world he had never known existed, a world where monsters exist. After killing the werewolf with his bare hands, he is recruited into MHI, or Monster Hunter International. Between his hilarious quips, getting his butt handed to him on more than one occasion, and the best action scenes I have ever read, I am blown away by this book.

Getting into the mind of Owen was highly amusing and had me cracking up every other page. The writing flows so incredibly well. The book has the most incredible fight scenes. The monsters were terrifying. As in it takes at least a hundred bullets to put one monster down. Perhaps a few grenades. And don’t get me started on master vampires…

Thank you, Larry Correia, for writing such an amazing book. You are now one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to read more!

Rating: 5+ stars

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by 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 😅), 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 feel—it was a modern-day fairy tale with characters who were meant to be loveable. There’s a time and place for that but, for me, writing with the goal of “I want people to love my characters” 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