Eye of Fire by D Wallace Peach This book not only satisfied my desire to read about dragons, but it also profoundly satisfied me on many levels; intellectual, emotional and spiritual. Peach’s writing is effortlessly lyrical. Her characters are wonderful to discover (both good and bad) and her story telling is a gift of Belonging itself. Authors like Peach are rare and I am so grateful to have found her. Her works are a masterclass in every aspect of fantastical story telling.
Five Elements Anthology Tightly spun tales of sci-fi with fantasy elements. Fascinating reading! My favourite tales were by CJ Jessop and D Wallace Peach!
His Judas Bride by Shehanne Moore If you like your heroes smouldering, your heroines feisty and complicated, you’ll love this steamy romance!
Memory of the Fae by KJ Baker If you like your Paranormal Romances fast and furious, with plenty of action and passion, this is for you! I was delighted to discover a 4th book in the Mated Faes series. This story focuses on Asha’s best friend, Gracie, and Raven’s brother, Hawk. Unlike the others in this series, it doesn’t have a happy ending, instead it has a rather unsettling end…!



Rogue Hunter by KJ Baker This is the first in a new series from KJ Baker, this time set in modern day London. I loved the concept of a treaty between humans, immortals and vampires and how the balance of power is threatened by rogue vampires. The narrator, Marney, is a rogue vampire hunter and is delightfully hot-headed and impetuous. This is certainly a different take on paranormal romance!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Other Stories by Washington Irving is a delightful collection of interesting, sometimes sentimental essays and stories.
The Gemini Connection by Teri Polen is a YA novel with fantastic conceptualisations and brilliant characters.
Rogue Online: Devil’s Gate by Mark Glarvey & E K Baxter I loved the engaging nature of the narrator and experienced his frustrations and victories as he battled his way through the Rogue Lands.
Todd Sullivan Presents The Vampire Connoisseur A collection of tightly written stories on the theme of vampires. I enjoyed reading these diverse tales and the three that stood out to me were; Parasites; A Tale of Route 66 by BJ Thrower, Splinters by Keawe Melina Patrick and The Sun Sets Nonetheless by Priscilla Bettis. All 3 authors have an individual narrative voice which is a delight to read and all 3 provided me with a unique and original view on the well-told tale of the vampire.



I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons The best biography I’ve read! This meticulous book provides fascinating insights into Cohen’s life and creativity.
I found two books by Jeff Steele; The Multiactivity Series Books: Four Different Activity Types for hours of Focus and Fun and Easy DIY Essential Oil Projects. Both are short and sweet but extremely useful!
Ludo & the Star Horse by Mary Stewart Still an enchanting read as an adult as it was for me on my 10th birthday! The imagery is compelling and the storyline riveting.
A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart As fascinating and compelling as it was when I first read it at the age of 10. This is a Grimm fairy tale with a unique slant on the werewolf. Suitable not just for children but for adults also. Stewart’s description of the unseen transformation from man to wolf is a masterpiece in itself.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
Don’t forget to watch the book trailer for my latest creative offering at Elkadanu!
Why reviews are so important
4 March, 2022Reviews are important to me, both as a reader, and as an author.
And when I mention “review” I simply mean one or two sentences telling other people why they should read a book. “From page one I enjoyed this novel. As I submerged further into the characters, scenes, and story, it only got better — excellent read and looking forward to reading more of this Author’s works.” J Steele
As a reader, I tend to read only 4 or 5 star reviews as I’ve found that any review less than 4 stars reveals more about the reviewer than the product. And to be honest, I just want to know why readers enjoyed the book, not their pet hates or dislike of certain types of themes/characters/style of writing etc.
As a reader, the most helpful reviews I’ve read have been short and sweet, basically saying “I enjoyed this book because…” Any reviews that are long or go into detail about character development and plot arcs, turns me off straightaway. That’s not a review, that’s a critique, and I’m not interested!
As an author, I am dependent upon positive comments and reviews. Without them, I cannot promote my books. And, if I can’t promote my books, I can’t earn the money I need to pay the bills and simply live!
The more reviews a book has, the better chance an author has of getting it included in a paid promotion. Many promos require a book to have at least 10, sometimes 20 positive reviews.
As I’ve mentioned above, a review need only be one or two sentences saying why the reader liked the book. This doesn’t take long to do and indeed, I spend no more than 15 minutes a couple of times a month typing up the reviews I write for the books I’ve enjoyed reading, and post them on both Amazon and BookBub. “Freya’s ability to craft complex characters and create an interwoven storyline show’s well in this volume! The way things play out as the story unfolds, with some mysteries answered and others yet to be revealed, makes me want to know more of this world!” Troi
Reviews are really helpful when they’re posted on Amazon (as most promos require Amazon reviews) as well as Goodreads, Kobo, Nook and iTunes. So, if you have recently read a good book, please take a couple of minutes to compose a maximum of two sentences to encourage other people to also buy the book and get it up on Amazon etc. This really helps both the author and potential readers.
And, if you’ve ever read any of my books, please consider leaving a positive review about them on the above mentioned sites! You never know, I may well dedicate one of my works in progress to you!
Don’t forget that Insides is just 99p / 99c on Kindle as well as Apple, Kobo, Nook and other bookstores! Grab your copy quick before the price goes up! And check out the book trailer HERE!
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Categories: review
Tags: authors, books, freya pickard, novels, poetry, positive comments, readers, review, reviews, sales
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