Meet a Book Reviewer

Wow, I’m truly honored! Special thank you to Linda for introducing me!

I’m writing this quick post to introduce you all to Yecheilyah Ysrayl, a book review blogger, author, and all-round nice gal here on WordPress. It’s not just because she reviewed my novelette, All Good Stories, and gave it 5 stars, I’m writing about her because she gives great (and helpful) reviews. In a market so full, it’s hard to choose what to read, isn’t it? We really need reviews these days that go beyond the minimalistic, “I liked it,” to know what we’re investing our money in. Because money doesn’t grow on trees. Neither do books anymore, for that matter. (Sorry for the cheesy joke, I’ve been watching too much Stephen Colbert.)

If you’d like to check out Yecheilyah’s reviews, you can find a great example by clicking here. (Spoiler alert: it’s mine. It’s a really fantastic review!)

And even more importantly, if you’d like her to review YOUR…

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Repent at Leisure by Stevie Turner

Title: Repent at Leisure

Author: Stevie Turner

Print Length: 238

Publication Date: March 31, 2016

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Paperback)

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1530802838

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

When Paul McAdam awakens to find an unknown woman in his bed, he regrets his previous night out and is disturbed by the stranger’s presence. Paul is agitated and wants nothing but to get Catherine “Cat” Taylor out of his home. Despite Paul’s irritation, he entertains the strangers company and the two begin an odd relationship in which the woman moves into his flat.

Paul regrets going home, staying out late and lying about his whereabouts as he tries to avoid being in the woman’s presence despite she’s living in his house. His demeanor changes however when he meets the love of his life, Anita Fairflax. Despite the short time they’ve known each other, she is his world and the young couple is lovesick. They decide to take their relationship to the next level when Paul brings Anita to his flat.

Hiding evidence of Cat’s existence, Paul can’t let the love of his life know that he is living with another woman. Sure, Cat means nothing to him but that won’t matter if Anita finds out they aren’t alone. Successfully getting through the preliminaries, the two make love and end a perfect night. That is until morning comes and Paul walks into his bedroom to find Cat laid out on the bed. Dead.

What happens next is a series of investigations into the death of Catherine Taylor amid Anita and Paul’s growing relationship. Everything seems normal until Paul’s behavior shifts into one of an angry boy trapped in a man’s body. Will Anita marry a man she knows very little about? Find out in Repent at Leisure.

When the author gave me the description of what this book was about, I could not wait to dig in. The story-line was interesting and I wondered about the meaning behind the title. The book takes off slowly but things pick up a bit when Paul starts to act weird. I love the overall message and the repentance aspect at the end. I won’t say anymore as I am not sure I won’t spoil it! While I enjoyed the story, it was predictable for me personally and the pacing like I said was a little slow, however I did enjoy the story. I wonder if there will be another part as I’d be interested to see where Paul and Anita’s relationship goes.

I will also say that this book presents an important message for today’s youth in regard to rushing into relationships and I’d recommend it for any young person looking to settle down. Take your time young people! As a general rule of thumb, it takes a couple years for most people to drop their masks. Relationships is mostly built on getting to know each other and that takes time.

Ratings:
Plot Movement / Strength: 3/5
Entertainment Factor: 3/5
Characterization: 4/5
Authenticity / Believable: 4/5
Thought Provoking: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

Available Now on Amazon.com

Be Sure to Support This Author:

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If you’d like me to read and review your book there’s a long line, however I’d be happy to add you to my list. Be advised that I only publish reviews that I rate with a 3 or more rating. Anything under a 3 is corresponded with the author personally via email.

Click Here to complete my Review Registry Form to see if you’d qualify for my reviews. Reviews are free but there is a wait as I am also still working on my own book. Your patience is appreciated.

Stay Tuned for next week’s review.

Before The Week Ends: Book Review Registry

Before the week ends, I’d like to inform my Authors reading that I have set up an online Book Review Registry to make it easier for you to sign your books up for a review. Book reviews are free. The readers fee doesn’t kick in until October 3rd so if $20 is not something you would like to pay in exchange for an honest review (completely understandable. I’m not trying to get rich or anything) you can always sign up NOW while there are no fees. I have decided to charge a fee only to cover time. I love reading, I love writing, and I love promoting authors. Unfortunately, my time would not allow me to do it as often as I’d like. The little time I do have require me to be as organized as possible to ensure I’ll get them done. I don’t want to promise anyone anything I can’t deliver on. My last book review showed me just how tight my time is and I barely met the authors deadline. Anywho, go ahead and register your book at the link below and thank you in advance for your support:

“It takes a minimum of 5 Amazon reviews and an average 3.5 rating to really start to see changes in book sales for Indie Authors.” – EC

BOOK REVIEW REGISTRY

Book Review Policy Changes

I will be making changes to the review policy this fall. Due to time constraints, I will be charging a small readership fee in exchange for honest reviews. Don’t worry, it’s unbelievably cheap. This change will take place on Monday, October 3, 2016. To assist in a smooth transition, I am opening up registration for those who want to be placed on my readers list. Registration is free and secures your spot once the new policy takes place. I am offering a discounted readers fee for the first 5 authors to sign up. Registration begins August 8, 2016. I will pencil you into the calendar and you pay nothing until your service begins.

Indie Publishing is a hard and long journey. In order for Self-Publishers to make even the tiniest bit of noise will require at minimum 5 reviews. Preferably, written by 5 different people, unrelated to the author and an average Amazon rating of 3.5. Reviews help a book to start conversations, helps a books Amazon ranking and dramatically boost book sales.

I will provide an honest, professionally written critique of your book and a review that will be posted across social media to help you as an author. I treat my author friends how I want to be treated and will never insult, degrade, or embarrass my authors. My reviews are free in exchange for an e-copy (Kindle, PDF) or paperback of your book. However, due to time constraints, as stated I will begin charging a small readership fee for the reviews. This fee is to cover the time it takes to sit and read through the book (which takes a lot of time). Please visit my website to learn more (Look under the “Book Review Policy” page) Otherwise, reviews are still free (no fee) up until October. Send me an email if you’re an author looking for more reviews. I’ll be happy to do what I can to help.

An official PDF e-copy of the review for your records

Author will receive 350 – 750 words (3 – 5 paragraphs) of a detailed, honest, and quality review
Review posted on high traffic website and blog
Featured book of the month on blog and newsletters
Review linked to Amazon and Goodreads account
All reviews feature link to author website and social media accounts
Post review on all social media
Life time warranty. I support you forever.

FYI: In this digital age so many companies, big and small, are fleecing Self-Publishers by promising positive reviews in exchange for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars. (I just read something on LinkedIn earlier that said a company was charging a $250 fee for reviews). That said, for those of you who know me, you know that I am loyal and will never take advantage of new authors entering this field. I know how hard it is because I’m grinding right here with you. My fee is very affordable and is only to cover time.

Two More Reviews Are In – 5 Stars for The Road to Freedom

Below are excerpts of the two newest reviews for Joseph’s Story: The Road to Freedom:

Siyah says:

“Wow this was a Great Read!!

The road to Freedom: Joseph’s story, may be set In the time frame of the early 60’s but it’s contents is very relevant to today’s current events.

The writer takes you on a journey through the eyes of a young man named Joseph. He and his friends begin down a road with only the hope of wanting to somehow help the fight for equality of African Americans and to stop the mistreatment they suffered under segregation and Jim Crow laws. They realize that the task would be harder than they imagined. As they travel down the road of reality, they find that the segregated world they live in has been paved with cruelty, injustice, and was blinded by hatred and strong resistance to even the notion of change. Joseph and his friends encountered first hand the mistreatment and persecution of the African American people and those that helped them.”

Constance Says:

“In the book Stella: A Road to Freedom #3 Joseph’s story. In this 3rd installment of the series this book told the story of Joseph’s journey in finding himself. The truths that he faced were an eye opener for him. Joseph and his friends, all young, embark on this journey to fight for equality and freedom. In their journey they learn just how much racial inequality there is. They learn that even the friends that they that choose to align themselves with can possibly get them killed. Their alliances with one another in this fight showed just how unaware of the seriousness of the road they were traveling. This book was well written. I was worried for them being young and traveling across the country to fight for the freedoms of integration. I love the history that is told in this book and when it comes to telling this story through Joseph’s eyes, you have to question whether or not we as a society today are still traveling this same road to freedom and if we will ever find it. The characters in this book are relatable and the writer continues to leave readers wanting to take a look back into history. This series should be required reading in middle schools and high schools around the country…its just that good!”

I Just Got SICKER!

You may remember the review I wrote last year on Christa Wojo’s debut psychological suspense horror series SICK. In Book One, we peered into the life of Susan Branch, a woman struggling to take care of a very sick husband with a number of diseases plaguing his body. Well, I am happy to inform you that part two, SICKER is now available for pre-order! So, I am not ill but I did just preorder SICKER. The ending of SICK was so sick I cannot wait to continue reading. Click the book cover below to pre-order SICKER and welcome to the mind of John Branch.

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – The Mistreatment of Zora Langston by Lisa W. Tetting

Title: The Mistreatment of Zora Langston (Paperback)
Author: Lisa W. Tetting
Website: https://rebirthoflisa.wordpress.com/
ISBN 13: 9780996142908
Published: March 15, 2015
Publisher: Lisa W. Tetting
Pages: 158 pages
Genre: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Drama, Fiction

The Mistreatment of Zora Langston is a coming-of-age novel surrounding the abuse experienced by nine-year-old Zora Langston.

Set in Goldsboro, North Carolina, there is so much to relate to and learn in this powerful testimony of abuse, betrayal, and the ability to still love and be loved through it. Ironically, the cause of her father’s death becomes the epitome of tragedy for Zora in more ways than one. His enemies become hers, and when it seems things are getting better everywhere she turns, they only worsen.

Zora is not given a chance to mourn her father before her mother’s boyfriend moves in. Instead of her shining example of womanhood, her mother despises her existence. Her sister burns with intense jealousy, and her brother’s nonchalant attitude further illuminates Zora’s invisibility.

As a result of continual physical and emotional abuse, Zora is sent to live with her Aunt Terri and Uncle Jim and, for the first time, gets to experience what it means to be happy and to have a family. I was excited to see her get excited at those little things that children love.

What makes this a moving piece is that it is told from the eyes of a nine-year-old. I did not expect Zora to endure what she did, and the abuse she encountered was shocking. Children tend to be very open and honest even amid grown-up experiences, and Zora is no different. She approaches the situations of her youth with the same level of naïveté as most children. Yet, while Zora’s perspective is rightly childlike, the tragedies she endured strengthen her. Thus, her reaction to the situations surrounding her is in many ways also mature, surprising the adults around her, who are often taken aback.

What I found especially educational is how the author incorporated the life lessons of Zora’s dad and the parenting of her Aunt and Uncle into the tragedies of her life and how those lessons were used to strengthen Zora in the moments she needed them most. Despite her hardships, Zora could still hold on to a level of innocence deserving of a nine-year-old. “I usually wore a swim cap…but that made me look like an alien” (Tetting, 102) is just one of the many sayings of little Miss Zora that made me laugh out loud. I could have sworn I thought the same thing at her age!

The Mistreatment of Zora Langston is a book of shocking revelations and raw emotion. As adults, we have much to learn from children like Zora. It is not just a book about her; we also get to see how adults view situations.

Debut Author Lisa Tetting proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that “it’s not the love that hurts; its the denial of love.”

Ratings:
Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
Entertainment Factor: 4/5
Characterization: 5/5
Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
Thought Provoking: 4/5
Recommendation: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5

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Tag: book reviews