Diamonds and Toads: A Modern Fairy Tale by K.E. Saxon | Review

Hmm, I am still thinking of what I would rate this novel.  Actually, I am still thinking whether I liked it or not..

Maybe, I will come to a conclusion at the end of this review.

Original Title: Diamonds and Toads: A Modern Fairy Tale

Author: K.E. Saxon

Publisher: Passion Flower Publishing

Release Date: September 23rd 2011

Source:Review copy from the publisher

Genre: Fantasy, Erotica, Fairy-tales

Sugar and spice and everything nice...and, oh yes, naughty—times twice. 

Together, sweet Delilah and wicked Isadora make the perfect woman. But the Perrault family fairy is a troublemaker and imbues diamonds upon one sister and toads upon the other. Now up is down and down is up in a world where no good deed goes unpunished. Leather, blindfolds, and handcuffs purge sweet of all reserve. A few misspoken words of lust gives wicked a whole new meaning. 

Once upon a time, there were two sisters, one cursed and one blessed by fairy magic… 

Bibbidee-bobbidi-boo, They’re naughty. How about you?

REVIEW

Delilah and Isadora are step-sisters in the Perrault family.  While Delilah is innocent and shy, Isadora, with her typical model-like body, is so outgoing, but mean to others.  The fate of these two sisters is decided when the Perrault family fairy blesses Delilah with diamonds and curses Isadora from the power of speech.

Actually, I think both the sisters are blessed, but differently, based on their attitudes.  Because it lead to good things in the end.  The sisters are strong and lovable.  Each have their reasons for being who they are.  And I was able to understand their positions well, because most of us are facing/hearing those issues often.  I enjoyed the way with which the author brought out both the stories in one situation, like during the marriage of Delilah, Isadora is already cursed, and the readers didn't know about it yet.

When I picked up this novel, I seriously didn't expect the plot to be like this.  What I explained above is not the story actually, it's the base.  The main story contains erotic contents as well.  Well, I am not complaining about that.  But, I think the title is the problem for me.  I am reading erotica in a fairy tale.  That statement sounds bad, right?  That's exactly my problem with the book.

Still thinking..

Did I like the book?  Yes
Do I have anything that I don't like?  Yes - the title and the guilty feeling that I have
Do you want to read more about this?  While I enjoyed this novel, I don't think I want to read it again or even read more about it.

The rating is 3.5 stars then.

Jack Canon’s American Destiny (Excerpt) by Greg Sandora

Change is seldom easy, but moving into our new offices the final year of the  campaign was anything but hard. Sandy decorated our campaign offices with style,  comfortable furnishings, light- colored woods, and plenty of glass. She said her  taste was as big as my pocketbook, and lucky for us, friends of the campaign had  donated plenty of cash to do the job right.Sandy popped her head around the door. Dressed in a black skirt and form-fitting zebra print blouse, she carefully positioned the toe end of her  black stilettos toward the floor to keep the door from closing. I could just see  the faint line between her toes as her foot was flexed.

We had a tight spring closer installed right after one of my senior staff  accidentally left the door ajar. There are a lot of sensitive issues discussed  in here we would never want the rest of the office to know.

“Jack, you’ve got senior staff in 20 minutes.” Sandy’s voice had an almost  musical quality. She rarely spoke to me in anything but the most dulcet tones, a  trait which matched her pleasing personality.

“Hey, Sandy,” I jumped up from my seat and moved quickly towards her.

“Come with me; I want to show you something.”

“What’s going on, Jack? You seem excited.”

I didn’t answer – instead I led her gently by the arm toward the seventh  floor elevator. We passed several staff members busy working at their desks,  each calling out like dominoes, one after the other, “Hey Jack.” I smiled and  gave thumbs up as Sandy and I hurried past.

“Damn, the elevator’s busy; let’s take the stairs.”

“Do we have enough time, Jack?” Sounding concerned as we turned the corner.

Ignoring the question, I pushed open the door and started down the steps.  Sandy had one hand gripping the cold metal railing and her other digging into my  arm for support, luckily she had short nails. A couple of years ago, I mentioned  I didn’t like the plastic ones she was wearing. The next day she came into the  office, plopped both hands down on my desk, and said, “I cut my nails, Jack!”

In My Habitat ~ Guest Post by Elisabeth Wolf ~ Author of "Lulu in LA LA Land"

Today, I am very happy to have Elisabeth Wolf here with us.  She has written an amazing middle grade book, "Lulu in LA LA Land".

Read the review here!!!

And Elisabeth has written an amazing guest post for us as well.  Enjoy the guest post and the amazing pictures!

IN MY HABITAT

- Guest Post by Elisabeth Wolf

Here’s what I need to write when I want to write my best: a long table; a view of nature; soft quiet or bird song; my dog, Winnie.  I wrote Lulu in LA LA Land sitting in three different places:  my dining room in Pacific Palisades, California; my parent’s dining room in Cambria, California; The Perch in Kennebunk, Maine.  Each of these places has a long wooden table where I can write and look out windows.  Oh, and Winnie always lies nearby.

Here are pictures of the three places I write.

This is my dining room in Pacific Palisades.  Outside the window is a native garden that I planted.  In the background you can see the “V” shaped trunk of a huge Sycamore Tree and on the right side are red leaves of a Western Red Bud Tree.  Both of these trees start losing their leaves in September and grow new ones around March.  I can judge how VERY long I’ve been writing by watching the leaves come and go.  Also, since I mostly grow native plants (meaning plants that have been growing in my neighborhood long before people ever built houses there), my garden attracts local birds.  Watching hummingbirds, finches, and scrub jays, I feel like I have visitors throughout the day while I’m working.  My main character, Lulu, grows native plants and watches birds.

This is my parents’ dining room in Cambria, California.  Their backyard overlooks the Pacific Ocean.  I have spent zillions of hours looking out those windows and watching fog (as you can see now), sea otters, pelicans, gulls, dolphins, fishing boats, and smashing waves.  In my story, Lulu worries about trash in the seas and spends time arranging beach clean ups.  Well, now you can see exactly how and why I wrote about that!

Here is where I am right now.  All summer I live in a small coastal town in Maine.  My old house is on three floors, and I write on the top floor.  I named the house The Perch.  I’ll show you why.  Here’s what I see from my desk:

I sit up high near the top of an old Oak Tree.  While I write, its leaves wiggle at me.  If I stare long enough, the dark and light green lichen and mosses growing on the trunk form a pattern.  Mostly, I listen to lapping waves and rustling leaves and watch the tide go way out and then come way back in. If the ocean breeze reaches as far and high as the open windows across the front of my writing table, I sometimes smell dried fish and seaweed.

My son, Philip, is 15 and works down at the cove you see in the distance.  His job is rowing little kids to a nearby island.  I watch him steadily stroke across the water until I lose sight of him behind the Oak branches. Lulu talks about protecting old trees. .  His job is rowing little kids to a nearby island.  I watch him steadily stroke across the water until I lose sight of him behind the Oak branches. In my book, Lulu talks about protecting old trees.  When you read this section, think about the Oak you see here.  Staring at and wondering about this tree and other huge old trees inspired me to write that part.

There are two other things you should know about my writing world.  First, I can’t write hungry.  If I try, all I do is think about food.  So, during the time I work, I get up and go to the kitchen lots of times.  I love chocolate and can eat it any time of day.  In my kitchen I keep bowls full of whatever fruit is in season.  I’ll devour fruit all day long.  I just ate a nectarine.  Lulu loves farmers’ markets and that’s where I always go to buy fruit.

Second is Winnie!

He keeps me company when I write – even if it means he lies under my table for hours (like in this picture). Or, in the picture below, he guards the entrance of the third floor of The Perch.  Rarely, does anyone climb up all the stairs to look for me when I am writing, but if anyone tries, they have to get past Winnie!  Of course, he’s not fierce at all.  He’s loveable and would do anything for a belly rub.  Lulu has a Pug, named Watson.  Watson waddles about being silly and smelly.  Lulu loves him anyway.  When you read about Watson, think of Winnie (who isn’t smelly or silly but is always sandy and dirty).

Most of all, when I write, I surround myself with what makes me happy and secure.  Actually, now that I think about it, I try, as much as possible, to fill my life with what makes me happy and safe.  I hope you do too.

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Elisabeth, thanks for stopping by!!!  "Books Are Magic" wishes you all the best for all your future endeavours.

Lulu in LA LA Land by Elisabeth Wolf | ARC Review

Have you ever doubted that you are not spending enough time with your family?  Worse, do you have your priorities wrong - something over family?  You should read this...

Original Title: Lulu in LA LA Land

Author: Elisabeth Wolf

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Release Date: August 6th 2013

Source: ARC from publisher

Genre: Middle Grade

Lights! Camera! ACTION! Lulu, a soon-to-be 11-year-old living in Los Angeles, prefers gardening to primping and homemade guacamole to five-star restaurants. You'd never know that Lulu is the daughter of Hollywood's A-List power couple. This year Lulu is determined to throw the kind of birthday party her glamorous parents might actually attend (which means Watson the pug is not invited). But it's so not Lulu. Should she morph into the Tween Queen of Tinseltown or stay true to her book-loving, mis-matched socks self?

Fall in love with Lulu as she tells her story in an innovative script-novel hybrid. After all, everyone is LA is writing a screenplay!

REVIEW

11-year old Lulu has everything.  She is the second daughter of Hollywood's most famous director mom and actor dad. Obviously, she have no problem with money as well.  Lulu don't like all this LA things like shopping, make-up, etc.  She is content with cleaning the beaches, gardening with her best friend Sophia, dressing all things orange and reading every possible book at hand.

But, her one problem is her time with her parents.  So, when her birthday arrives, she is so determined to make her parents come for her birthday party, which they have never attended so far.  She is even ready to work with her Queenbee sister, Alexis, to plan the Spa-tacular party, which her parents will like; even accepting to give up her favorite color, orange, for the invitations.  But, everything shatters, when her parents were nominated for Oscar and the Oscar award ceremony is happening right on her birthday.  So, how is smart Lulu and the Queenbee Lex going to pull out this thing?

I loved this plot.  It's more important to today's men and women.  They never understand that "spending time with children is more important than spending money on children".

Source: http://godisheart.blogspot.com

I know money is important; but not more than your family and definitely not more than your children.  That message was well provided and received as well.  It will be a whip-lash to the parents who leave their children at home without proper care and a reminder to others that this situation should never occur to our own children.

The characters were so adorable.  All of them.  Lulu, Lex, Sophia, Jenna, Elena (Lulu's momny - mommy+nanny), Lulu's parents and her dog, Watson.  I left a few, because I don't want to explain the whole story here, but I like those characters too.  Everybody has that bond of family and friendship in them, that I can't help loving.

The writing is okay for me; not so good or bad.  It could be improved; but seeing this is a debut, this is a good effort on her writing.

I especially loved loved loved the ending.  It was written so delightful that I felt so happy even hours later. Keep it coming, Lulu!

Verdict:
This is not just a children's read.  It's for adults as well, adults who 'should' care more about their family more than anything -- ANYTHING.

Recommended for all ages!