drama

Songs for 2020 Playlist Summary and Review

Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, drama, music, playlist ,
cover image made by Spotify

Run time: 1 hr, 40 minutes

Introduction:

The song list for 2020 is still growing. This year, I put most of the instrumental pieces first so you can listen as you do work. There’s roughly half instrumental and half lyric songs. It opens with 4 strong, encouraging songs before moving into a new phase.

Opening Instrumental Songs:

Gambling with Fate by Tommee Profitt

Both epic and moving, this song could mean many things. Challenge yourself to gamble with fate (take risks) and live life to the fullest.

Here to Win by Alexander Hitchens

Another good “fight for it” theme. I put this one on my list for students this year. Rousing and enthusiastic, this song celebrates the seriousness and joy of striving to win/ succeed at whatever you do.

Possibilities by James Paget

Beautiful and slightly haunting, this is a good song for exploring whatever comes your way.

A Taste of Freedom by Antti Martikainen

Exciting and triumphant, this is another song that moves one to get up and do something.

Phase Two Instrumental Songs:

Magic of Love by Thomas Bergersen, Two Steps from Hell

A light, pretty piece. I’ve used before on a playlist I made for my epic scifi series (Anotech Chronicles).

Invincible by Two Steps from Hell

And we’re back to fight scene music.

The Hero Within by James Paget

Don’t know the history of this song, but it sounds like it was on a video game. I love that this song has several sections to it. There’s enough movement and mood shifting to include an entire hero’s journey.

Friendship is Magic by Marcus Warner

Apparently, many positive human feelings are magic. This is a beautiful song that speaks of adventures being more fun when shared.

Phase Three Instrumental Songs:

Back in Action by Alexander Hitchens; Mark Petrie

Very similar to “Here to Win,” the song is another one meant to pump people up for something.

Tell the World by Really Slow Motion

The adventure continues. Fits with the first wave of songs as well. Figured the list could use a jolt of rousing by this time.

Your Soul is Beautiful by Christoffer Johansson

I put this song on the Kindred Spirits list because it’s lovely and fitting for the story, which centers on a pair of guardian angels.

Believe by James Paget

Another pretty song from James Paget. I’m surprised they’re not more widely viewed on YouTube. I like the contemplative strains of this one. As with all song interpretations, I’m sure it can mean a dozen things, but I like to think it has to do with the overcoming struggles.

Leap of Faith by Sham Stalin

Epic. Not quite fight music but certain one that challenges a hero to keep moving after his or her goals.

A Tale of Sea Dragons by Marcus Warner

Beautiful and light-hearted, this song celebrates mystery and magic. I figured this was a nice note to end the instrumental section on.

Phase Four (Challenge 1) Lyric Songs:

He Mele No Lilo – From “Lilo and Stitch” Soundtrack

I’m in the midst of writing about an FBI agent who lives in Hawaii. Found this song while searching for appropriate music to get in the mood to write. Cute movie. If I ever make a sound track for that series, this will certainly be on it.

Time Has Come by Wildwood Kin

Favorite lines:

“We are heroes. Each of us is born a fighter.”

“The war’s not over… it’s just begun.”

Wake Up World by Unsecret, Ruelle

Pretty sure this ended up on the Redeemer Chronicles: Awakening soundtrack made for me by a friend. It’s a good reminder not to just let life float by.

Showdown by Svrcina

Probably wouldn’t feel like one of my playlists without a song by Svrcina. Once again, I’m shocked that it’s not more widely known. Only about 12K views on YouTube. She’s got an awesome voice and her songs are usually unique in a great way.

“I will. I will stand my ground.”

Be A Witness by Unsecret, Fleurie

Another “don’t stand by while things happen” sort of theme. Guess that’s a thing for me this year. I think this also showed up on that Awakening soundtrack.

“If you want to watch the war break out.

If you want to let your silence shout

You can, but I won’t just be a witness.

I’ll stand.”

Phase Five (Challenge 2) Lyric Songs:

Satan, We’re Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down by Sunday Service Choir

A tad repetitive, but a solid reminder of what kingdom warriors should be doing. (Praying and tearing down Satan’s kingdom here.)

Crowns by Cass

This ended up on an earlier playlist. This is going to be a year about stepping out and doing things I haven’t dared to do before. More details to come.

“Letting go of what the world thinks of me”

Beauty in Your Brokenness by Wildwood Kin

Although most songs on my lists are chosen because of what they mean to me, sometimes, I pick things that are beautiful, have a great message, or might be helpful to somebody I care about.

“It’s okay to make mistakes.

When you let go, you’ll see it differently.”

Wide Open by Austin French, Matthew West

If I had to pick one theme song for the year, I’d probably choose this one, although it’s more a wish at this point, a hope that I’ll have this sort of courage to pursue what I’m called to do.

This is My Time by Carrollton

“Every time I take one step forward

Seems like I fall two steps back.”

“No regrets. Never say die.

Gonna give it all in this fight.”

“This is my time.

Won’t quit I’ve just begun.”

Lyrics are pretty powerful. You’ll probably guess I’ve got a thing for this kind of message this year.

Phase Six (Winddown) Mostly Lyric Songs:

Carry You by Ruelle, Fleurie

Both women have beautiful voices. Another song included for sheer beauty and the reminder somebody else might need. I am sure there will be a time in my life when I need this reminder, but thankfully, it’s not right now.

Never Alone by Wildwood Kin

No matter what you face in life, you’re never alone, even if it feels that way. Once again, not a reminder I currently need, but something that’s been on my heart for those around me.

Freedom Hymn by Austin French

First time I listened to this, I don’t think I really liked it, but it’s currently one of my favorites from this artist.

“I push, I pull, go back and forth

finding myself pounding on a locked door”

“I can never be free without you”

“I can never be me without you”

Climb Higher by Pinkzebra, Benji Jackson

And we’re back to motivational stuffs.

“To reach the top you’ve got to keep on moving”

“You’ve gotta climb higher”

“Let the fire burn brighter”

To the Sky (Moderate) by Dirk Maassen (Piano music, No lyrics)

Could probably end with Climb Higher, but I figured the end (so far) is a good place to put a contemplative, pretty piano piece. It’s kind of a “hey, you’ve just heard a lot of challenges, take some time to process” theme.

Conclusion:

Hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about the songs I’ve chosen to represent 2020. Life is full of challenges. Music is a wonderful way to process the things that come your way or psych yourself up to do what needs doing.

Audiobook Promotions …

Feb Promos on Audiobook Crave.com (requires email sign in):
5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry
Spirit’s Bane (Guardian Angel Files Book 1)
Kindred Spirits (Guardian Angel Files Book 2)
Violence in Vegas (Eagle Eyes Book 1)
Rescue in Reno (Eagle Eyes Book 2)
Danger in Dallas (Eagle Eyes Book 3)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian.
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift.
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma.
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother.
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble.

Check out my other titles available on Audiobooks Unleashed:

Beyond Broken Pencils – contemporary, literary
Shadow Council Combo (Books 1-4)
(Alternately, the individual titles can be found on Audiobook Crave
SC 1: Money Makes it Deadlier
SC 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter
SC 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos
SC 4: Treachery Makes it Tense)

Eagle Eyes – mystery thriller

Scratched Off – mystery, thriller; FBI agent vs serial killer, more intense than Shadow Council/Eagle Eyes

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy

The Collins Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 1, Christian mystery
The Kiverson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 2, Christian mystery
The Davidson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 3, Christian mystery

Other titles on Audiobook Crave (but buried deep):
5 Steps to Better Blurbs – for authors
Innova – Christian Dystopia
The Golden City Captives – short fantasy
Fatal Interest – short mystery/thriller

Choices Stories Review: 4.5/5 Stars Big Sky Country

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, drama, romance, Western ,
Official cover they made for the game.

Genre: Modern Drama/Romance

*Will attempt to keep spoiler free

Summary:

Having your car break down in the middle of nowhere turns out to be the best thing that could happen to you. A cowboy comes along and takes you home to his ranch, where you meet his family and all the small-town intrigue you could ever want.

Additional Comments:

  • The Oakley clan is heartwarmingly disfunctional. There’s the older brother who wants to get with the new world by selling the ranch, the younger brother who wants to save the ranch and keep it going, the grumpy father, and the niece who’s just kind of along for the ride. To be honest, it’s been a while and I don’t really remember their names, except Brooke.
  • I sometimes take a long time naming my characters based on their looks. This one didn’t take me long. I went with Danielle. She seemed the trusting, naïve but hard-working sort.
  • The book features country fairs as well as natural and unnatural disasters and hardships.
  • This story might have one of the most satisfying ends of the Choices stories to date.
  • Sometimes, I surprise myself by liking stuff I wouldn’t normally read as a traditional book. Guess it helps that these aren’t quite traditional. So many pretty pictures.
  • Don’t judge on the cover. The cover they made reads “trashy romance” but it was a good story regardless.

Conclusion:

I’m usually fairly good at avoiding spending a lot of diamonds during the play throughs, but sometimes, one must spring for the extra satisfying ending. Its not my favorite Choices story, but the small town flavor added a lot of charm.

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Choices Stories Review 4/5 Stars: Red Carpet Diaries Book 2

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, drama , , ,
A nice promo pic created by a fan…I think

*Spoilers possible in discussion

*They warn you that the content could be disturbing to some people.

Summary:

Your first major movie launched a dream career. You get a house upgrade! You also get an offer to do a spy thriller produced by one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Even better, you get to be in the movie with your friend, Matt Rodriguez. This is more his standard kind of movie. Action.

Additional Comments:

  • Things seem to be going all right until the bigwig producer decides he wants more of you than you’re willing to give. From then on, things at work turn very hostile.
  • Your friends are on your side, but they beg you to bide your time. You want to take down the bad guy thoroughly, not just throw random accusations around. You need a platform first.
  • The entire middle of the story turned out to be pretty frustrating. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but like with Royal Romance 2, there’s a lot of chapters where your character is sort of a pariah or at least being treated like one.
  • They’ve begun a Red Carpet Diaries Book 3, but they’re not quite done yet, so I haven’t progressed far. The side characters aren’t my favorite, but they’re there for the MC when it counts.

Conclusion:

Overall, it’s an enjoyable series. This had a satisfying end.

Associate links to follow…

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Nonfiction:
5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry – A primer for chemistry students. Breaks down concepts into simple terms. 

5 Steps to Better Blurbs – A book for writers looking to improve their book descriptions

Movie Review 4.5 Stars: 1917

Julie Gilbert drama, Millitary ,
Movie poster

*Spoiler Section at end is going to be fatter than usual because I can’t say much without spoiling something.

Summary:

Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield are sent on a dangerous mission to stop a doomed attack. (Not a spoiler, that’s in the trailer.) Quite a few minutes of the beginning are spent following the young men as they receive their orders and begin to pick their way through the British line towards the front and then into No Man’s Land.

Additional Comments:

  • Blake and Schofield don’t know what they’ve been summoned for, but it’s quickly apparent that it’ll be a personal mission for Blake. His older brother is one of the men whose company is marching into potential disaster.
  • Plot 4/5: Pretty straightforward, but they manage a few surprises.
  • Violence level: High. It’s a war movie. If they’re not picking their way through grossness, they’re running for their lives.
  • Worth seeing in theaters? Yes. It’s the kind of movie enhanced by a larger screen. You can enjoy it on a phone or a home television, but you’ll be missing out on a lot of the film’s beauty and horror.
  • It’s not a feel-good comedy by any stretch, but they worked in some lighter moments.
  • I found it interesting to try to track which scenes made it into the trailer.
  • The characters are kind of bland, but they’re guys worth rooting for. I think that may have been part of the point. WWI was full of confusion, hardship, and millions of young men with stories that got drastically altered or cut short.

Conclusion:

War movies aren’t my go-to genre, but this one was fulfilling to see. It’s a solid movie.

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Spoiler Section:

  • I did not see Blake’s death coming. It makes sense in everything right down to who’s pictured first on Rotten Tomatoes, but I’m glad I didn’t have that surprise spoiled. It’s a bold choice—offing one of the main characters near the beginning. But I think it works to drive the movie forward.
  • Schofield doesn’t want to be there, but he’s seen more action than Blake. He is the more experienced soldier. He’s become a tad cynical about things, like his medal (just a piece of tin). Blake’s still new enough to be charmed by the thought of a medal (it’s not just a piece of medal…it’s got a ribbon too.)
  • War is complicated. Blake and Schofield couldn’t just watch the enemy fighter burn to death but rescuing him cost Blake his life. That’s messed up, but just the sort of messed up stuff that could happen.
  • I cried twice. Couldn’t tell you that before without spoiling something. Once when Blake and Schofield had their moment while Blake was dying. Second time was when Schofield handed the rings and dogtag to Blake’s brother. It was sad to see the brother go from anticipating/looking for Blake to realizing the truth to struggling to contain his grief.

Audiobook Reviews 4/5 Stars: Picking Daisy by Valerie Howard

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, contemporary, drama
cover from audible

Narrated by: Nikki Zakocs

Run Time: 5 hrs, 51 min

Summary:

Adventures and misadventures of a foster kid. Daisy Jean (DJ) is the poster child for the term troubles teen. Elise is a brand new foster mother. The blurb pretty much tells you the rest of the story.

Additional Comments:

– Definitely fits the inspirational genre.

– kid was a realistic character but so annoying, self destructive, and idiotic at times that it made the listening difficult. People can indeed be that way, so I understand why the author chose that characterization.

– Elise was a tad too perfect unless you count a tendency to apologize when she had nothing to apologize for. It’s a victim mentality that’s annoying. 

– Parts were a comedy of errors.

– The Christian message came through clearly. Interest because most books in the genre follow the boy meets girl or vice versa and one saves the other. This is sorta a mutual saving of a list kid and a lady in search of purpose.

– The horror accounts from the previous foster situations are very realistic.

– Fav part was Elise telling off Mr. Beckett. The thread, alas, did not end well. It feels like an injustice was allowed to stand.

Conclusion:

If you can get around DJ being self destructively stupid at nearly every turn, it’s a satisfying read.

made on Book Brush

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

2019 Movie Recap Part II – Mini-Awards

Julie Gilbert drama, Family, Horror, Movie Reviews ,

Introduction:

I’ve already covered what I saw in 2019. This post will rehash some of that, but I’ll give you more insight into my reaction to each title by categorizing them. Think of it as my own mini-awards show.

One Hit Wonders for Me (Movies I Wouldn’t Seek to See Again)

  • Welcome to Marwen
  • Glass
  • The Upside
  • Cold Pursuit
  • Fighting With My Family
  • Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase – I enjoyed it, and I’m still a Nancy Drew fan, but it’s just not good enough to warrant seeking out again.
  • Captive State
  • Unplanned – Super-powerful and moving movie, but not exactly a feel-good story to re-experience.
  • Hellboy 2
  • Pokemon: Detective Pikachu
  • Godzilla: King of Monsters – Cool fights, but that’s about all it had going for it.
  • Aladdin
  • Dark Phoenix – Cool fights, but of the comic book movies, it’s just okay.
  • Shaft  
  • Stuber – Not worth a re-watch.
  • The Lion King
  • The Matrix (20th anniversary)
  • Rambo: Last Blood
  • Joker
  • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
  • Black and Blue – Good movie, but there are so many movies and so little time.
  • IT Chapter Two – Horror is not my thing. This only confirms it.
  • Knives Out – Decent movie but I hated nearly every character. Ain’t nobody got time for that kind of irritated feeling.
  • Zombieland 2

Worth Re-Watching (Movies I Would See Again if the Chance Arose)

  • Captain Marvel
  • Avengers: End Game – I like that we finally got some closure. Infinity War ended horribly.
  • Men in Black 4 – Pawny is awesome.  
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home – I’m borderline on this one, but I saw it a few times and enjoyed it both times.
  • Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw
  • How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World
  • Angel Has Fallen – When looking for mindless action, you can rely on this series.
  • Alita: Battle Angel
  • Charlie’s Angels
  • Lego Movie 2
  • Shazam!
  • Secret Life of Pets 2
  • Terminator: Dark Fate

Movies I Hope to See Again Someday (Will Likely Seek Out)

  • Jumanji: The Next Level – Would definitely see twice in theaters. It has that sort of larger than life appeal that’s great on a big screen.
  • Star Wars Ep IX: The Rise of Skywalker – Definitely seeing a few times in theater.
  • Frozen 2 – Not as good as the first, but it carries the torch well.

Surprisingly Good

  • Jumanji: The Next Level
  • Black and Blue
  • Captain Marvel
  • Zombieland 2
  • Terminator: Dark Fate

Favorite Movie of 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level

Since I’m a big Star Wars fan, you might find that surprising. Jumanji turns out to be the “better movie” because it had less expectations. It found its brand of weird comedy and capitalized big time. They also managed to fit a few awesome side stories in and around the main plot.

Conclusion:

I’m not sure how many times I’ll see Star Wars, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Frozen 2, but suffice to say it’s likely more than once. I enjoyed the majority of the movies I got to see in 2019. Looking forward to what 2020 holds.

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Choices Stories Reviews 3/5 Stars: Home for the Holidays

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, drama, Family, romance , ,
Choices promo pic for the book

*Mild Spoilers possible

Summary:

You’re an overworked, underpaid young editor at a publishing house. Your boss is cute but kind of abrasive. There’s also the best friend romance option.

Additional Comments:

  • If I remember correctly, this is a fairly short book, like 10 chapters instead of the normal 16-18 chapters.
  • I’m not sure when this story was made, but I gather it was earlier. Most of the recent books have been longer.
  • As a writer, I enjoyed the publisher angle. I also liked the side romance options didn’t all revolve around the MC. Her little brother and mother also had options.
  • You’re headed home for the holidays, and somehow your boss end up stranded in your hometown. Your best friend has a great book, but your boss isn’t that jazzed about you taking it on. Your main quest is to change the boss’s mind and help him regain his humanity (of sorts).

Conclusion:

It falls in the okay category. Not my favorite story and not my least favorite either. I’ll be the first to admit that romantic drama isn’t really my go-to genre. I’m better suited for murder mysteries and fantasy wars and scifi conflicts.

Associate links to follow…

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Nonfiction:
5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry – A primer for chemistry students. Breaks down concepts into simple terms. 

5 Steps to Better Blurbs – A book for writers looking to improve their book descriptions

Audiobook Reviews 4/5 Stars: Will There be Watermelons on Mars by Debbie Manber Kupfer

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, drama, short stories , , , ,

Narrated by Jennifer Bossio

Summary:

I’m not sure if it’s one story or two, but it sounded like two short stories about the end of the world in Jerusalem.

Additional Comments:

  • Susie’s story is short and bittersweet.
  • Na’ima’s story is short and hopeful. Couldn’t tell what her significant other’s name was, Reuben or Reuven.
  • The whole book was 35 minutes long. Makes me wonder how long the manuscript is.
  • Not exactly an action-packed story, but the author has a lot of experience writing tiny tales that are more like life vignettes.
  • The narrator had a nice voice. I listened at 1.5x because 2.5x was too fast to follow with her lovely accent. 1x would have been horribly slow.

Conclusion:

If you’re in the mood for a quirky short, give this a shot.

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Choices Stories Review 4/5 Stars: Red Carpet Diaries Book 1

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, drama, romance ,
promo pic from the story

*Spoilers possible in discussion

Summary:

Your character, a lovely young lady you get to name and choose a face for, ends up in LA looking to land a dream job as an actress. It happens. Your best friend becomes your agent. He’s a low-level cog in a big organization. His boss is a big jerk.

Additional Comments:

  • You land a role in a movie with a certifiably nuts director.
  • Teja’s the assistant director. The MC likes her. Even the crazy dude likes your character enough to change his movie to give you a bigger role.
  • Seth’s a neighbor. He’s hot. He’s also a budding comedian. So is Gloria, a former actress. She’s weird but charming.
  • Matt Rodriguez is your co-star. He’s trying to expand from mindless action movies into more demanding drama roles.
  • Come to think of it, this book has a relatively low number of love interests/side characters. I guess they usually go with 3-4, so I’m guessing that’s standard. Not sure why it seems small this round.
  • They find a way to bring the main character through quite an emotional ringer.
  • It’s reminiscent of Rules of Engagement, America’s Most Eligible, and Royal Romance.
  • I almost went with the default name (Jessica). The variant, Jessie, fit the character face I’d chosen very well.

Conclusion:

I was pleasantly surprised in how much I enjoyed this story. There are no guns drawn or zombies coming out of the woodwork, but there’s a lot of drama.

Associate links to follow…

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Nonfiction:
5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry – A primer for chemistry students. Breaks down concepts into simple terms. 

5 Steps to Better Blurbs – A book for writers looking to improve their book descriptions

Choices Stories Review 4/5 Stars: Veil of Secrets

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, drama, mystery ,
from the front of the main promo image used for the story

Summary:

You’re being interviewed by an FBI agent. At last, a true small-town kidnapping mystery. You’re in a small coastal town to witness your old friend’s wedding, only the happy occasion doesn’t happen. Instead, your friend disappears. The plot quickly thickens from there.

Additional Comments:

  • I plan on replaying this again someday. I might up the amount of stars if/when that happens.
  • Your friend’s fiancé has a strange family. The small town has quite a few secrets. One of the local cops wants to help, but not everybody wants the truth to be known.
  • The music was suitably creepy. The game gives off the same sort of vibe as It Lives Beneath, but this one is all mystery (rather than horror). Same for Most Wanted. This is kind of a hybrid between the two.
  • The summer has been pretty good for catching up on reviews and stories. It’s been a few months since I’ve read this though.
  • The outfits the crazy hotel lady keeps pushing on you are intriguing but irrelevant.
  • They went the collect clues route with this one, rather than the influence or reputation route for getting you to buy the premium scenes. I may try to collect all the clues next round. I went cheapy route this time.
  • Can’t remember if you can be a male and a female in this book. I played through as a guy. I think you can be either. There aren’t that many of their books that do this. I’d say most of their stories you’re a lady.
  • Unfortunately, don’t think there’s a sequel in the works.

Conclusion:

I don’t think they have plans to expand to a sequel, but since it’s set in a real-world kind of setting, it’s not as big a deal to be in the same universe. I hope they plan on more similar type stories (murder/kidnapping mysteries). It doesn’t quite fit in the cozy genre, but it’s exciting playing detective.

Associate links to follow…

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.