Review & Blog Tour: Destiny (New Avalon, 1) — Andrea Buginsky

Elena Baxter has spent her life desperately wanting to fit in. She’s used to being teased and taunted by the popular girls, but when she celebrates her sweet sixteen birthday and receives two amazing gifts—the power of telekinesis, and the truth about her heritage—she has high hopes that things will change. But her wish does not come true, and Elena is bullied just as she was before, only this time her hurt feelings and frustration boil into something even she cannot understand. When an explosion hits, chaos ensues and she learns that her new power just might be bigger than she is. 


She embarks on a journey to a secret island to learn how to control her powers, and she’s thrown into a different world, one where she just might be able to fit in. What Elena learns about her heritage forces her to face her past – and the demons it created – head on. 

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Review Reflections (Eternal Curse, 1) — J Dorothy

Reflections (Eternal Curse, 1)

by J. Dorothy

Star Rating: 4 / 5

Read the synopsis on GoodReads

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Review: Fluffy: A Journey Through Depression

Fluffy: A Journey Through Depression

by Michael John-Ryler

Star Rating: 2.5 / 5

The real reason I choose to read this book is because, from the front cover and title, I thought it may be a young teen account or a book for children (about a depressed rabbit called Fluffy) which would guide youngsters through some of the key features of depression. I was pretty wrong about that!  This book doesn’t really tell the ‘journey’ of a man through depression, so much as it gives you a glimpse into his world. It isn’t written chronologically, so if you want a story and a plot, you won’t find it here. Instead this book is written with alphabetically themed chapters that can be read singularly rather than in order as a whole.

While you won’t get an emotional and moving account of a man and his family’s struggles (I found it difficult to really connect with the voice of the author), you will get a frank account. I found it interesting that the title seems inspired from a small event that I think all people who have experienced depression have felt: a moment when the people that you love or feel aligned to find something heart-warming, amusing or happiness inducing while you feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. I think the title and cover are generally misleading, but it was interesting to see where the ‘fluffy’ came in to it.

I feel that the grammar and writing style could be improved, but I understood what the author was trying to say. The ending was a nice, brief and uplifting send off. It’s a quick read and might make you feel not so alone if you have depression. I do believe there are probably more relatable, emotional, scientific and/or informative books out there to read on the topic of depression. But hey, this is real life. Sometimes it doesn’t have a pow factor. It’s a nice read, but as someone with an interest in psychology I certainly would have liked more background on his parents and how his depression came about. I don’t think I would read this book again, but it certainly made me more interested in finding good books about depression. 

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Review: A Sexy Journey (Delilah's Diary #1)

Delilah's Diary #1: A Sexy Journey by Jasinda Wilder

Star Rating: 3 / 5 

This book is something I picked from my Kindle library because of its short length. It seems most of the short books on my Kindle are erotic. I found that this book made a great bedtime read because of this. The plot is easy to follow, it's easy to read, and quick to finish.

I'm not sure if this plot is typical in erotica or chick-lit, so I can't comment on its freshness. The background or beginning of the story seems a little bizarre. A man stays with the same woman for years despite having no sexual desire for her, but cheating with numerous other women. Then they get married and he still has no desire for her. On the other blame hand, the female character is apparently a good little Christian girl who doesn't know better. I don't find the religious part convincing at all - I just didn't feel the cheating exposure would magically make a woman, who has followed a strict morality the whole of her life, to magically forget or disregard it. Surely she would be more worried about sinning and going to hell? But I think that's a little too deep for erotic, so I let that slide.

I found the way that Wilder described Delilah's reaction and thoughts on homosexual men to make a lot of sense. I've never really had an issue with any people of a certain sexuality, but her confusion was well explained in text. I know that a few reviewers dislike Delilah for her narrow mindedness and limited experience - I can totally understand their dislike - but as I said earlier, it's erotica so I think the main aim is to make a character you can just about like and a plot you can just about keep interested in and then put lots of steamy sex between that.

I find it difficult to believe that...

• everyone slept with Delilah's husband and she never knew.
• people would happily give their services to Delilah for free.
• the hottest men on Earth would be super interested in Delilah (if she was so undesirable before)
• the divorce (time taken and terms)
• the amount of money she carries around with her
• this is just a few examples.

Regardless of all the issues, this book was all right for a quick read and, to be honest, I really wasn't expecting much when I started to read it. The frank writing style sometimes felt inconsistent with the character herself, but it was somewhat amusing.

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