Month: May 2022

Choices Stories Review: 4.5/5 Stars Royal Heir Book 3

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, drama, Family, romance ,
got the combo pic from a pintrest board https://www.pinterest.com/pin/587719820118179930/

For those who care… I chose princess #3 if counting left to right. So friggin’ cute.

Summary:

I honestly thought this one was the end of the royal saga. It’s a fun tale that rolls right off the events of the previous book. It ends on a semi-cliffhanger in that they opened it for a book 4, but I still feel there’s enough closure to make this one enjoyable.

Additional Comments:

  • Recap: The original Royal Romance series follows the MC, who you have a little control over in terms of hair style, face, and name. I went with Emma Easterwood. The MC is a waitress in New York who meets a prince on his bachelor party. That sets off an unlikely but fun series of events wherein this waitress ends up in a selection style competition to win the hand of said fair prince.
  • Tie-ins to other Choices tales: Concordia, the fictional kingdom set somewhere in Europe, has its history tied to some of the earliest Choices stories I read (though probably not their absolute first). I started with The Crown and the Flame. Set somewhere in between is The Royal Masquerade. The Crown and the Flame is a TV show in some of the more modern set Choices tales like The Freshman.
  • Back to Recap: So Royal Romance took 3 books, so I guess I expected this one to be the end of the series. The Royal Heir is a sequel series. It picks up after you marry somebody important in the Concordian government. As a traditionalist, I went and had Emma marry the prince, but you do have a few more options.
  • RH 1: has the MC and her love interest trying to have a kid and dealing with the press. RH 2: the kid has arrived and she’s adorable. The default name is Lilly. I liked it enough to settle on Lillian. The first major hurdle is to keep the kid from any disastrous engagements to bratty royals from a neighboring kingdom. RH 3: has a threat of a different sort. One of your own cabinet members makes a blatant bid for power and that involves taking your kid away.
  • The political intrigue here has enough plausibility to be believable.
  • I always get sucked into the silly upgrade the room superfluous buys. Avoid that if you can. But I will say, the few diamond scenes from the baby’s point of view were absolutely hilarious. Her names for the people involved are awesome: Stinky Bad Man, Flower Lady, Haha Man, etc. Also, just like Disney, these people have a thing for making babies and puppies so dang cute.

Conclusion:

The main quest is to preserve your family, which is kinda cool. A new threat arises, so the danger isn’t past, but this book covers a span of a few years, so you had a few years of peaceful kingdom.

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5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

Choices Stories Review 4.45/5 Stars With Every Heartbeat

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, romance, tragedy , ,

*Warning: this one’s labeled a tragedy

Summary:

It’s like watching a car wreck. You sort of suspect what happen but still watch for the details.

Additional Comments:

  • I actually cried at the end.
  • You 100% know what’s going to happen. It’s a framed story. The MC is sitting there at her graduation watching a video prepped by her boyfriend.
  • It’s still a very sweet story.
  • I liked the tie-ins to Edenbrook hospital. Ethan Ramsey and Harper Emery get cameos.
  • Cancer seems to have cropped up a lot lately in stories, people I know of, etc. Crazy devastating disease. Even the treatment of it is difficult for families to bear.
  • I did most of the diamond choices that involved being nice to people. I think this was one rare book where they didn’t have a pet for you to adopt. Good. I’m such a sucker for the cute fluffies.

Conclusion:

Sad but satisfying story.

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5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

5/5 Stars The Student and the Slave by Annie Douglass Lima

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Young Adult , ,
pic from audible

The Krillonian Chronicles Book 3

Narrated by Joseph Baltz

Run Time: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Genre: Dystopian, Adventure, Drama, Young Adult

Note: Discussion will contain spoilers for previous entries in the series. Highly recommended that you start with book one.

Summary:

Bensin struggles to get a job and use his newfound freedom well.

Meanwhile, Steene deals with life as a green slave (someone not born to it). He’s given to a thirteen-year-old young man with an interest in martial arts.

Additional Comments:

  • I don’t often give out 5 stars, but this is an exceptional series.
  • Part of the middle of this story dragged, but the end wrapped up nicely on several fronts.
  • Raymond probably has the strongest character development arc.
  • I love how the story focuses on family dynamics as well as working within the dystopian system created. There’s bravery and honor and such, but it’s not a let’s-fix-the-empire book.
  • If you want to look deeper at themes on slavery, good vs. evil, money not fixing problems, and so forth, you can find it.
  • The main characters aren’t perfect, but they’re learning and adapting and all the more realistic for their flaws.
  • There are two separate storylines for 98% of the book. That’s interesting to track, but there was decent page balance between the two.
  • It’s a little hard to pin down the genre. It’s basically an alternate world where slavery is an accepted way of life. Collars (slaves) have some rights but are basically property. But this isn’t set in history. It’s a world with email and jet planes and motorboats and martial arts tournaments. Dystopian is as close as I can come, though most of those are about changing the messed up world, not preserving one family.
  • The writing’s very strong.
  • The performance is also very strong. Ellie’s letters were endearing.
  • The end’s a tad convenient, but it fits so well I don’t even care about the coincidences.

Conclusion:

I’m surprised the series isn’t more popular. The books are long with some meandering but highly satisfying overall. Grab the trilogy and dig in.

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5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Trials-vella.jpg

3.7/5 stars The Stone Mermaid by Aisha Urooj

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy ,
gorgeous cover from audible

Narrated by E. Dante Chandler

Run Time: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Summary:

Victor love Ariana, but she loves a human. The Sea Witch’s son tries to protect his friend, but she’s smitten.

Additional Comments:

  • The initial setup to the world (~1/4-1/3 of the books) was interesting. The middle lagged a lot in terms of pacing, but the last bit had more action.
  • Main characters 3/5 stars: Victor’s an intriguing character. Ariana mostly came across as a lovestruck fool. (She got better at the end, but only after several twists.) Ivan was useless and annoying.
  • Parts of the story remind me of Wicked (the excellent play, not the awful book) – conceptually when good intentions are taken the wrong way.
  • Side characters: I liked Ivan’s brother and future sister-in-law? (the other princess)  
  • Plot 3.5/5 stars: There’s a lot happening. Most of the middle plodded on in an annoying fashion until one excellent, satisfying plot point. After that, things got much better quickly. Before this satisfying moment I spent about an hour fervently hoping something like this would happen.
  • Writing style 3/5 stars: The writing seemed passive in many sections. (This happened. Then this happened. Then this happened.) Then, there would be sections with deep descriptions.
  • 4/5 I played the audiobook fast. The performance repeated a few lines here and there, but overall hit most of the right emotional beats.
  • 5/5 High marks for imagination. It’s an interesting take and expansion on The Little Mermaid tale.

Conclusion:

If you enjoy rewritten fairy tales, this is a solid choice to check out.

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5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Trials-vella.jpg

Clean Vella Spotlight – Something Sweet by Jessica Brown

Julie Gilbert romance, Vella , ,
cover pic provided by author

Title: Something Sweet

Genre: Romance, Christmas

Keywords: #romcom #sweetromance #kindlevella #christmasromance #holidayromance #enemiestolovers

Blurb:

Marley Winters’ life is her bakery. Just as the holiday season is kicking off, handsome John Klaus serves her an eviction notice: Marley must leave her bakery by the end of the year. Determined not to lose her bakery, Marley strikes a deal with the man she sees as her executioner: give her three weeks to earn the money she owes and she can keep the bakery. But when John keeps showing up at the bakery, Marley begins to wonder if he’s really as Scrooge-like as she first thought.

Comments:

I’ve read about half of this clean read. It is indeed sweet.

It’s about a woman trying desperately to save her bakery and the man who’s the go-between for the landlord/people who want the bakery shut down.

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They’re a lot of fun. It’s episodic reading. You get 3 chapters/episodes for free and then you unlock them with tokens from there.

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Interview with Vella Author Kim Riehle

Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Fantasy, Vella ,

Hi Kim, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. What can you tell us about yourself?

My name is Kim Riehle.  I am a wife, mom of 10, grandma of 7, and avid reader and writer.

Me: That’s a lot of kids.

Kim Riehle 2021.jpg
Picture provided by author

What do you do for fun?

I love spending time with my family.  I also love theater.

Who or what inspires you the most?

One of the things that inspire me the most is the untold story.  I am a genealogist at heart, and I love researching the lives and experiences of those who have lived before us.

Tell us about your Vella series.

The Sliders Series is a YA story.  The first part is Quartet and comprises 57 episodes on Kindle Vella.

The Slider Series Vella Picture.jpg
Picture provided by the author

Are there any deep themes or messages in the book the readers should be aware of?

Friendship and loyalty are at the core of this story.  The experiences the characters have test those boundaries and they have to decide what is really important in their lives and relationships.

What gave you the idea for this book?

This is a story I started about ten years ago and it has increased in depth over that time.  I came up with the idea because I love the thought of being able to travel to another time.

How long did the book take to write?

From beginning to end, ten years.  Total writing time about six months.  There was a lengthy period of time when it just sat in my to-do file on my computer.

Who designed the cover?

I designed the cover.

Do you have other works?

I have three other stories on Vella.

Mending the Mirror is a Middle Grade, Mississippi Bones is a Historical Fiction, and H.O.P.E is a non-fiction.

Tell us about one other book or series and why it’s important to you. 

Mississippi Bones is important to me because of the extensive research that took place to make sure the historical events were portrayed accurately.

What other writers/people do you consider inspirational? If they’re authors, what about their work captures your interest? 

I like many of the classical authors, not just for their stories but because of where there stories originated.  Many of Tolkien’s characters came from his experiences in WW1.  I also love Little Women by Louisa May Alcott because of her character Joe.  I am a lot like Joe. 

What got you into writing? 

I began writing as a companion to my reading.  I would write additional characters for the stories I read when I was a child.

What is your writing process? 

I am a planner and a world builder.

When do you consider a work complete? 

It is just a feeling.  I believe every story has more but there comes a point when you can say it is good and end it there.

Random:

  • How do you think your personal chances of survival are in an apocalypse? (zombie or other)
    Answer: I believe I would be able to survive because I am a firm believer that when there are trials if you seek to help someone else they will be able to help you.  I also have taught survival to kids for a number of years.  
  • What’s 1 thing you want to accomplish in your lifetime?
    Answer: I want to give my kids an opportunity to learn enough to be successful, strong, and a positive influence in this world.
  • Would you rather get a tangible object or have an experience? (you can’t say give me money.)
    Answer: I love experiences.  For me spending time with someone is worth more than  money or things.
  • If you could have 1 (just 1) superpower, what would it be and why?
    Answer: My superpower would be the ability to read emotions.  I would love to be able to help facilitate joy and peace in the lives of others.  Sometimes that is hard to do when you don’t understand what they are feeling.
  • What’s your “new” as in most recent favorite movie? 
    Answer: My favorite movie is The Return of the King.  I know that is not a new movie but it is one where I feel there is so much to be learned through the relationships.  I love Sam.  He knows he can’t carry the burden of the ring, but he can carry Frodo.

What brought you to working on this project?

A friend of mine introduced me to Kindle Vella in July of 2021.  I had this story mostly finished for years and it just seemed like the right time to pull it out and give it a new life.

What was the hardest part of bringing this story to life? 

For me, the hardest thing is time.  I write after all my kids are in bed.  That is also when I do my homework from the University.  Juggling between the two is difficult some days.  It takes discipline and a lot of time management.  I would get a lot more done if I didn’t have to sleep.

Do you have a favorite character voice from the project? Why/ why not? 

 I love Emma.  She is the one who sees things differently because she is a transplant to the town where the story takes place.  

Do you have a favorite chapter from the project? Why/ why not? 

My favorite episodes are 53-57.  These episodes were all one chapter in the original story.  Because of the nature of Vella the episodes are much shorter than a chapter.  Those episodes are so powerful for me as an author.

Is there anything you’d like readers to know? 

No matter what you love to do in your life, please continue.  What we each contribute to this world is valuable.

Website: www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09F2CSYY8

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5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 and 2 – (thriller, YA; Season 1 complete; 2 releases Fridays) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Season 1 complete, 2 coming soon) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Trials-vella.jpg

4/5 Stars Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Julie Gilbert Movie Reviews , ,

*Spoilers possible

Summary:

Dumbledore can’t act against Grindelwald because they made a pact when they were kids. Same for the big baddy. He can’t go head-to-head against Dumbledore for the same reason. But the big baddy would like to reshape the world and have the wizarding world come out of hiding.

Additional Comments:

  • It’s okay as a standalone but probably much better when taken as a straight continuation of previous events.
  • This is part 3 in a 5-part series, but let’s be honest, if it makes money, they’ll squeeze another movie or split 5 into two separate movies. Just the nature of the movie making beast of late. This portion of the movie doesn’t advance the plot much, but it does cover several key events.
  • It’s a decent movie that has some amusing parts. I love McGonagall’s cameo.
  • Honestly, the movie was way more interesting because I’ve been playing the Portkey Hogwarts Mystery game. (Ravenclaw all the way … cause blue is pretty.) Some of the creatures are mentioned.
  • It suffers a bit from Hollywood striving to hit the right PC notes, but that’s a relatively minor complaint.
  • Some of the character involvement seemed a stretch, but it worked out.
  • A major fight scene was ultimately a very long bunny trail.
  • The creature part of this did show some significance.
  • The voting with wands thing was super cool and satisfying to see, though it gave the thing the feel of the Quidditch World Cup or something.

Conclusion:

Recommended on a big screen.

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This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is JCG-vellas-2-1024x536.jpg

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Trials-vella.jpg