Tag Archives: Goodreads

Glitter Ponies Giveaway on Goodreads

Lita is offering free rides on the wizard’s airship to the land of Clockpunk Wizard.

For all Gentle Readers who are on Goodreads, enter now for your chance to win a FREE autographed paperback copy of Glitter Ponies. The Goodreads Giveaway for Glitter Ponies runs March 1st to 12th, so don’t miss your chance to visit with Wizard Kadmeion, his assistant Sir Bright, and Lady Luck’s young daughter, Miss Probability.

Glitter Ponies by Lita Burke

In Glitter Ponies, a recent college graduate wizard teams up with Lady Luck’s young daughter to discover the cause of a mysterious unicorn illness.

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“Forever Boy” Takes Finalist in Readers’ Favorite Contest

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Lita is delighted to tell Gentle Reader that the 2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest named Forever Boy as the Finalist Winner in its Fiction-Short Story category.

Readers’ Favorite gives readers a resource for quality book reviews. Their annual book award contest offers authors the opportunity to gain recognition and exposure of their books.

This year, Readers’ Favorite honored one of Lita’s Clockpunk Wizard stories. They named Forever Boy as a Finalist Winner in their annual book awards contest. Here is their 5 star review of Forever Boy.

Lita skipped all the way to Alice’s place to tell her good friend the news. “My feet were so caddywhompus on the way here,” Lita said. “I should have stopped and dug for apples until they sorted themselves out.”

The Flamingos Were a Bit Cross

Alice insisted they celebrate with a rousing game of croquet. As usual, the flamingos were a bit cross about being the mallets. The hedgehogs abandoned their role as balls, and waddled away.

The girls then drank tea with the dormouse until it was time for Lita to go home.

Readers’ Favorite reviewers have said kind things before about Lita’s stories. One reviewer described Forever Boy as “Lita Burke’s steampunk fantasy short story, Forever Boy, is fabulous and filled with magical adventure.” More… Another reviewer gushed this in a 5 star review for Ephraim’s Curious Device: “The Clockpunk Wizard series is a marvelous and magical melding of steampunk with epic fantasy that is fresh, original and really quite exciting.” More…

The award-winning Forever Boy is now just a dollar on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Don’t wait—indulge yourself now with some tea, croquet, and Clockpunk.

Forever Boy on Amazon US

Forever Boy on Amazon UK

Forever Boy on Smashwords

Forever Boy on Barnes & Noble

Forever Boy on Goodreads

Forever Boy on LitaBurke.com

Don’t stop after reading Forever Boy. Continue your visit in Lita’s Clockpunk Wizard fantasy world. Find out more about Ephraim’s Curious Device, read the back cover blurb, revel in Chapter 1, watch the Ephraim’s book trailer, and then have Ephraim’s Curious Device join Forever Boy on your Kindle, Nook, or iPad/iPhone.

Review: Writer’s Block

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Writer’s Block by Michael Gardner is a mystery short story about an office worker named Ralph who travels back in time to unravel the disappearance of his favorite author, J. R. R. Tolkien.

Ralph Visited Oxford to Find Tolkien

Records clerk Ralph lives an uneventful life filled with computer work, caring for his cat Noodles, and reading his favorite fantasy stories. One day, a rift in space-time opens in his work cubicle, and takes him back to 1954 London. Thrilled at the opportunity to meet his favorite author, Ralph tracks down a bookstore, but cannot find his most favorite books of all time, The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.

A dismayed Ralph visits Tolkien’s home in Oxford at number twenty Northmoor Road, and discovers that Tolkien has never lived in this version of London. What Ralph does next to correct this horrible error in the universe does not turn out the way he plans.

Writer’s Block is a fun diversion for Tolkien fans. The best part is Ralph’s practical approach of using time travel to meet one of his literary heroes. Besides, a world without hobbits, Frodo, and Gandalf is too horrible to imagine for epic fantasy fans. Rest assured that the world inside of Writer’s Block is only a story. Just to be sure, Lita checked her bookshelf, and The Lord of the Rings was in its proper place.

Writer’s Block on Amazon US

Writer’s Block on Amazon UK

Writer’s Block on Goodreads

Michael Gardner on Goodreads

Review: Alien Nightmares: Screen Memories of UFO Alien Abductions

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Alien Nightmares: Screen Memories of UFO Alien Abductions by Sharon Delarose is a nonfiction book about alien abduction that describes dream imagery and memories about visiting extraterrestrials.

Screen Memories are Repeated False Memories That Mask What Really Happened

This nonfiction book recounts the contents of a woman’s lifelong dream journal.

It details her experiences with repeated alien kidnappings. The book presents an analysis of re-occurring dreams and their common elements, and fits everything into a structure called “Screen Memories.” The Screen Memories are repeated false memories that mask what really happened to the author during alien visits. But even false memories have patterns, and this book peels back the mask.

Throughout the book, the author correlates empirical events from news media reports and dream journal entries. The writing style is matter-of-fact, has attention to detail, and shows organized thinking. Despite the fantastical subject area, the alien abduction accounts have a refreshing clinical factualness. The book’s painstaking correlation of the journal with media research produces a plausible Screen Memories theory.

Comradery With Other Abductees

Alien Nightmares: Screen Memories of UFO Alien Abductions is an excellent treatment of a topic that polarizes people into believers or doubters.

Believers find reassurance that they share a sobering, and terrifying, comradery with other abductees. Doubters put it all into the “has a vivid imagination” bucket. This book does an excellent job of systematically analyzing the dreams and the related real events. Even though the author’s memories were masked by aliens, there is too much coincidence with real events to dismiss the journal entries. The book could convince the doubter there might be something alien going on, after all.

Alien Nightmares: Screen Memories of UFO Alien Abductions is recommended for Gentle Readers who enjoy true accounts. Others that demand correlated facts to give credence to fantastical situations would enjoy the painstaking cross-referencing. No matter if Gentle Reader is an alien abduction believer or doubter, this book delivers treats for both camps.

Alien Nightmares: Screen Memories of UFO Alien Abductions on Amazon US

Alien Nightmares: Screen Memories of UFO Alien Abductions on Amazon UK

Alien Nightmares: Screen Memories of UFO Alien Abductions on Goodreads

Sharon Delarose on Goodreads

Review: Black Diamond

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Black Diamond by Jennifer Loiske and Eveliina Tommola is a YA fantasy about Shannon McLean, a 12-year-old girl who moves in with her magician father and is immersed in a demon-infested battle.

Her Father Lives in a Musty Manor House

Three weeks after her mother passes away, a heartbroken Shannon leaves Boston and moves to London to live with a father she doesn’t remember. Connor McLean lives in a musty manor house and is aloof, mysterious, and a bit terrifying to his cheeky daughter.

The servants are either cringing like scared rabbits or lost in a thrall-like state. The strangest thing of all is that everyone has curious tattoos on their wrists, and the inked images move. Contrasting these hideous things is discovering she has a twin brother named Ian. Separated soon after they were born, Ian lived his whole life in this huge house with a father who has slowly descended into evil. Ian also has an unbelievable revelation for his sister. The twins are powerful witches, and they must combine their power and save their father from the demon that is slowly devouring Connor. The worst of all is that the demon infection is Shannon’s fault.

Servants Are Cringing Like Scared Rabbits

Black Diamond is a satisfying story about a couple of likable kids caught up in their parent’s dark magical past. Jennifer Loiske uses a deft hand in weaving a plot laced with unexpected twists and a shivery mood.

Gentle Readers who enjoy a story centered on a determined young lady with a sturdy sense of right and wrong, but is smart enough to listen to the wiser counsel of her brother, would like Black Diamond. This dark adventure is no diamond in the rough, but rather is a polished sparkling gem of a gothic fantasy.

Black Diamond on Amazon US

Black Diamond on Amazon UK

Black Diamond on Goodreads

Jennifer Loiske on Goodreads

Jennifer Loiske website

Review: A Gathering of Twine

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A Gathering of Twine (The Spirals of Danu) by Martin Adil-Smith is an epic fantasy about Freeman, a writer who tells a most dangerous tale.

Shadowy Mystery Men Trail Freeman

The elderly Freeman hurries to a meeting with his book publisher. He totes a briefcase stuffed with incriminating papers concerning his next story. Three shadowy mystery men trail him, people who want to keep the truth from reaching Freeman’s considerable following.

The author makes his meeting, and at his publisher Danielle’s urging, Freeman makes a most startling claim. His simple statement mocks the existence of a creator and the societal underpinnings of all we hold dear. Does Freeman have proof? Hoo boy, does he ever.

A Gathering of Twine unfolds as if picking apart a snarled ball of yarn–or more accurately, a tangle of barbed wire. The story has many threads, and they unwind Freeman’s tale starting with text from ancient stone tablets that reference modern-day conventions. Next are firsthand accounts of people mixed up with supernatural events, and sprinkled within are biblical and other holy book references.

Even the Children Drank the Poisoned Fruit Drink

Adil-Smith finishes the story with a fascinating explanation of the Jonestown incident with the unsettling tape-recorded confession of a Jim Jones follower. Their faith started with convincing visions of heaven. But after peeling away the magical veneer, underneath was the hell described eons ago in Freeman’s ancient stone tablets. Drinking the poison-laced purple fruit drink was truly the lesser of the Jonestown’s evils.

Fantasy fans that enjoy well-told twisty yarns would like being tangled up in A Gathering of Twine. Be warned, there are chilly ruined lives in this story, and the delicious devils are so convincing. They will have Gentle Reader reaching for that purple drink in no time.

A Gathering of Twine on Amazon US

A Gathering of Twine on Amazon UK

A Gathering of Twine on Goodreads

Martin Adil-Smith on Goodreads

The Spirals of Danu on Facebook

Review: The Deadliest Game

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The Deadliest Game by H. E. Joyce is a thriller about the recently remarried therapist Laura Mitchell and her deadly entanglement with a revengeful person from her past.

Laura and Her Son Jody Settle in Brooksville

Laura has moved to the small seaside town of Brooksville with her eight-year-old son Jody after recovering from the tragic circumstances of her first marriage. She meets the handsome attorney Michael Peterson at a party, and ten months later, they marry. They settle in at Laura’s secluded and lovely property on the cliffs overlooking the sea. Laura resumes her therapy practice and Jody starts school with a teacher he likes. However, Michael has a secret that threatens to ruin everything.

A Desperate Chase and Elude for Laura

The Deadliest Game teases with an idyllic restart to Laura’s life, but the early hints about something much darker from her past kept Lita reading. Disappointment with the newlywed Michael’s behavior soon changed into an unsettled awe of the despicable person who had entangled him. The connection between Michael’s problem and Laura’s past was one of many twists. The desperate chase and elude scene during a savage rainstorm tied a dandy bow on this thriller package. A tip of the hat goes to H. E. Joyce for constructing a deliciously dangerous plot with likable characters. The bad guy’s actions were deplorable, but he was also multifaceted.

Suspense fans who love woman-in-jeopardy thrillers will enjoy The Deadliest Game. But Gentle Reader might want to wear a raincoat to keep from getting soaked during Laura’s frantic battle at the end.

The Deadliest Game on Amazon US

The Deadliest Game on Amazon UK

The Deadliest Game on Goodreads

H. E. Joyce on Goodreads

H. E. Joyce website

Review: Outview

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Outview by Brandt Legg is a coming-of-age fantasy about a teenager named Nathan Ryder and his struggles learning modern-day psychic magic.

Nate’s Mother Committed His Brother to a Mental Hospital

Nate has suffered for a year from paralyzing nightmares. In these night terrors he runs from enemies, but they always catch and kill him. He struggles to live a teen’s normal life with his best friends Kyle and Linh, but his father died four years ago and Nate feels responsible. The loss estranged him from his mother. Even worse, she sent his brother Dustin to a mental institution two years ago and she refuses to let Nate visit. Now the worsening nightmares have convinced Nate that he is going crazy like Dustin.

Kyle and Linh sneak him in to visit Dustin. They discover a lucid older brother who guides Nate to seek out their Aunt Rose and investigate their father’s death. Nate learns from Rose that his nightmares are the forerunners of exceptional psychic powers. His innocent Internet search about their father alerts a clandestine government agency. This agency, lead by an Agent Fitts, will stop at nothing to acquire Nate and his growing powers.

Nate Could Read an Entire Book in Seconds By Holding It Between His Palms

Outview is a dandy fantasy thriller. Woven throughout was an intricate and well-designed fantasy world of psychic powers and government shenanigans. Lita wished that she could just pick up a book, hold it closed between her palms, and absorb its knowledge the way Nate could.

The story’s ever-growing plot dangers made for an absorbing read. Brandt Legg used a deft hand in creating teens that were a pleasing blend of naïveté and intelligence. The story also had a nice balance of description and dialogue that kept things moving. Lita very much enjoyed the detailed descriptions of psychic magic, but some Gentle Readers might find them too lengthy for their tastes.

Outview is one of those excellent stories where Lita wanted to give it more than five stars. She cannot wait to read the sequel, Outin. Since Lita cannot absorb a book through her palms like Nate, she will read Outin from her Kindle the usual way.

Outview on Amazon US

Outview on Amazon UK

Outview on Goodreads

Brandt Legg on Goodreads

Brandt Legg website

“Wrath” Takes Honorable Mention in Readers’ Favorite Contest

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Lita is delighted to tell Gentle Reader that the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest named Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane as the Honorable Mention Winner in its Fiction-Short Story category.

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane – Honorable Mention Winner in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest

Readers’ Favorite gives readers a resource for quality book reviews. Their annual book award contest offers authors the opportunity to gain recognition and exposure of their books.

This year, Readers’ Favorite honored one of Lita’s Enchanters of Sye stories. They named Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane as an Honorable Mention Winner in their annual book awards contest. Here is their 5 star review of Wrath.

Lita rushed over to Alice’s place to tell her good friend the news. “I am so discombobulated,” Lita said. “I forgot my handkerchief. I feel like a hobbit setting out on a grand adventure!”

As Usual, the Cake Made the Girls Grow

Alice insisted they celebrate with a mad tea party. As usual, the cake made the girls grow, bump their heads on the ceiling, and giggle.

The tea from the bottle labeled “Drink Me” shrunk them to the size of dormouse. Then they played the game of I Spy Things That Start with the Letter M until it was time for Lita to go home.

Readers’ Favorite reviewers have said kind things before about Lita’s stories. One reviewer described Wrath as “Lita Burke brings a magical world to life with a deft and economic use of words and imagery that is really quite remarkable.” Another reviewer gushed this about Tredan’s Bane: “The story is very intriguing and, at the same time, exciting.”

The award-winning Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane is now FREE on Amazon US, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Don’t wait—indulge yourself now with some tea, cake, and Wrath.

Wrath on Amazon US

Wrath on Amazon UK

Wrath on Smashwords

Wrath on Barnes & Noble

Wrath on Goodreads

Wrath on LitaBurke.com

Read more about Wrath in “Finalist in 2014 Readers’ Favorite Contest.” Don’t stop after reading Wrath. Continue your visit in Lita’s Enchanters of Sye fantasy world. Find out more about Tredan’s Bane, read the back cover blurb, revel in Chapter 1, watch the book trailer, and then have Tredan’s Bane join Wrath on your Kindle, Nook, or iPad/iPhone.

Review: If I Should Die Before I Wake

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If I Should Die Before I Wake by Gabriel Boutros is a novella fantasy thriller about a hit man, his prey, and a most disturbing hunt.

Simon’s Former Unforgiving Boss

Simon Wallis, a former gangster’s accountant caught embezzling from his unforgiving boss, runs for his life. Killer for hire Frank Burke, a sociopath with a predilection for Hawaiian beaches, tracks Simon. Nightmares plague both men in their desperate chase-and-elude game that ends in an unforgettable showdown in Montreal.

If I Should Die Before I Wake plunges the reader into a noir world of shadows and pursuit. From the start, Simon’s desperation and regret taste like a shot of rotgut whiskey whose burn lingers too long in the gut. When we see the story through Frank’s eyes, the sensual and entrepreneurial criminal oozes self-confidence. This professional killer is despicable and fascinating.

But the killer and quarry share reciprocal nightmares. Each man crumbles as the hunt draws to its close. In the end, the disturbing dreams merge in a most unexpected way.

Boutros spins a dandy thriller that greatly satisfies. If I Should Die Before I Wake left Lita uneasy, glancing over her shoulder before pouring another shot of rotgut to calm her nerves. Lita recommends this story for noir fans who love thrillers mixed with a touch of unsettling fantasy.

If I Should Die Before I Wake on Amazon US