reviews

Book Review – Revolution: Book 2 in The Nora White Story by Yecheilyah Ysrayl 

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Today is the Release Day for Yecheilyah Ysrayl’s latest creation! I have been looking forward to this one since I read Book 1 – Renaissance: The Nora White Story back in June of last year. Ren

The story of Nora White continues where it left off from book 1 in the series. As expected it was a whirlwind of excitement.
The story once again toggles between New York, Nora’s new haven and Mississippi, her roots.

I found myself enthralled with this story. The way the author blends the actual events Revolutionof the past with her fictitious interpretation is compelling. The visual depictions of the surrounding had me inside the room when Nora was waking from one of her spells. I could smell the open air of the South and feel the breeze on my face at the lake. I had the feeling that if I took a step, I would enter into the realm of Nora and her friends as they prepared for the huge Marcus Garvey event at The Garden.

The lesson in this book is something that is needed so much in today’s society. It also shows, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

My one disappointment was that we never hear from Lisa and what happened to her. I was very much looking forward to seeing how karma was going to deal with her. The author did leave a tiny bit of hope at the end so maybe we’ll see a third book about Lisa and her shenanigans. Here’s hoping. Overall I gave this story 4.5 stars, which in my world rounds up to a 5 star rating!

To purchase Renaissance, Revolution and the rest of Yecheilyah’s body of work Click Here.

 

 

Zora Turns 3!

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Zora turns 3

It is hard to believe that 3 years ago today I released my first novel, The Mistreatment of Zora Langston. It was the first step towards living my dream of becoming a published author. I would like to thank all of those who have supports me in my endeavor and welcome future readers. If you haven’t had a chance to read my debut novel, you can download your e-book copy today for only 99 cents! Click Here!

A lot of people mistake this book as a children’s book, but please don’t be fooled by the cover. It is NOT for children. I have marketed it as a young adult novel and I would not advise anyone under the age of 13 reading it. It is told from the perspective of a nine year old girl who has suffered sexual assault and physical abuse. Here’s more about the story:

Zora Langston is nine years old when her father dies, leaving her in the hands of a mother who is anything but loving and siblings who never considered her family. Without her father, she is truly alone. Before the dirt has even settled on his grave, there’s a new man of the house, and he has no interest in being Zora’s father. Despite her hardships, Zora remains true and allows faith to help free her from this new, horrible life she’s found herself in. She finds solace in her aunt and uncle and, for the first time, starts to discover what it’s like to have a real family. However, just when she thinks she has escaped her tormentors, new abusers emerge, old ones return from hiding and she must find the strength to survive.

I loved this character so much and she still lives in my heart. So much so that I am happy to announce that I have started developing the sequel to this book. The book is tentatively titled Cupcakes, Champagne and Butterflies and should be available this summer!

In the meantime, get to know Zora again by re-reading her story or discover her by reading her for the first time. If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, I have a limited number available. I will be selling them as an anniversary special of $7(Included s&h) until the release of the sequel or they run out, which ever happens first. Contact me using the form below for details on how to purchase your autographed paperback:

The Unhappy Wife – A Book Review

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Hi Lovies,

I just finished reading a great book and I wanted to share it with you. It is not often that I write reviews on this blog, but this book was so good I had to. The name of the book is The Unhappy Wife by K.E. Garland. It is a collection of stories about women and their marriages.

Here’s the skinny:

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. It wasn’t that I thought it would be bad, I simply am a lover of love. An Unhappy Wife is not something I want to read about. Boy was I wrong.

This book is a collection of stories from various women who delve into the real world of marriage. If you are someone considering marriage, you need to read this book. It is chock full of life lessons that our mothers did not teach us. Some of the lessons are converse to what our mothers have taught us.

I was blown away by the honesty and rawness these ladies exhibited. Though at times the story had me frustrated, I knew if I was in the situation in my twenties, I may have fallen into the same traps. It is easier looking back now that I have actually lived and experienced relationships.

At first I found myself saying how these women should know better, but I had to check myself. I was once a young inexperienced woman and I definitely was not without my own heartbreak. Thank God He did not allow me to marry my first fiancé. If I had, I surely would have been a prime candidate for this book.

This should be required reading for all young women who are considering a permanent commitment. As one quote in the book says “Marriage is not the wedding.” (Eva Longoria) Life lessons are sometimes learned through observing the actions of others and making sure you don’t repeat their mistakes.

This book is a curriculum of what not to do and teaches the reader the warning signs of when to get out. Kudos to the writer.

 

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©Dr. Katherin Garland used with permission

I have followed Dr. Garland’s blog for some time now and enjoy her work very much. She was gracious enough to allow me to interview her on my Indie Shine Feature as well. I hope you all will pick up a copy of her book and enjoy it as much as I did. (Click Here) In the meantime, head on over to her blog Kwoted here on WordPress and say hello.

Book Review – Renaissance: The Nora White Story by Yecheilyah Ysrayl

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Book and E-Reader- Nora W.

It has been a year of Sundays since I did a book review on this blog, but when this book came along, I couldn’t help myself. It gave me so many feels I couldn’t help myself!

Here are my thoughts:

Nora White is a farm girl from Mississippi who dreams of moving to Harlem and becoming a writer. Her biggest wish is to write alongside the legends of the era like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston!

Ok, I must stop here! This book was after my heart. I absolutely love both Langston and Zora! In fact the main character of my first book is named for them. I was swooning when the main character not only befriended, but became a contemporary of these icons! Nora was living the life J would have wanted, had I lived in the 1920s.

The book flashed back and forth between Nora’s family back on the farm and Nora living in NY.

Nora meets Zora while she is working her job as a maid/assistant to the grouchy Missharlemwriters.gif Charlotte, who insists on being called Godmother. She is a strange and temperamental woman who gives Nora a hard time. Nora is a bit of a Zora fan girl, but managed to keep her composure long enough to procure an invitation to a party where all of the who’s who of Harlem literary society will be.

Nora is overjoyed to meet them all, but makes it her mission to befriend Langston, who she is crushing hard on. That is until she realizes he is same sex oriented, or so the rumor goes.

The author really did her research, touching on the feud between Zora and Langston over a play written by both, but only Zora was given credit. The way she wove Nora into the middle of the feud was genius. It was reminiscent of Forrest Gump a bit.(That, in my world is a HUGE compliment – I love Forrest Gump)

There is no way I wasn’t going to like this book. Zora, Langston, Harlem, a bit of WEB DuBois and a roommate named Lisa! Wow! It turns out Lisa has an agenda at the end, but because the book ended on a cliffhanger we have to wait to see exactly what that is.

There were some serious shenanigans going on and I suspect there is a little mysteryIMG_9255 hiding just under the surface. I can’t wait to see if my theory is correct. Unfortunately my thirst to solve this mystery will not be satiated until December when book 2 is released.

In the meantime, I have all kinds of scenarios to mill around in my head to keep me busy. This book left me breathless! I want more and I want it now!

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That would be a big fat YES – 5 Stars*****

Now that I have you excited to read this masterpiece, I have to drop a little bomb. You ready? It will not be available until July. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a copy as part of EC’s ARC Team.

However, while you wait you can help Yecheilyah spread the word about her book by supporting her Thunderclap campaign. Don’t worry, it doesn’t cost a thing. It just takes a couple of minutes and your approval to share info about this book on your social media. You were going to do that anyway, right? So click here to support her campaign!

 

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©Yecheilyah Ysrayl used with permission

Yecheilyah Ysrayl is an Author, Poet, Blogger and Book Reviewer at Literary Korner Publishing.

web. www.yecheilyahysrayl.com

The Heart Stone Chronicles – Book Review

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heartstone

I have never been into fairies, but this poignant tale of winged creatures and the humans selected to protect them was compelling.

Abigale Forester aka Abby the Fairy Whisperer,
Moves from Chicago to Blackberry Ridge, FL to live with her Aunt Magnolia after the death of her beloved mom. Abby’s dad abandoned her for his drug addiction,unable to deal with his grief. His sister Magnolia takes in her niece and drama ensues.

Poor Abby has little time to mourn her mother, when she has to pick up her life and move to the unknown. Luckily her aunt is a loving, caring guardian.

Abby soon finds that she has a special gift of talking to all of the animals and the fairies of the land. The Calcite pendent given to her by her deceased mother holds special powers, as well. She learns that it is her birthright to save the fairies from the evil Rafe Cobb, threatening to destroy their realm.

Rafe Cobb is a businessman whose greed for Abby’s inherited swampland, causes him to order her to be killed. The tables are turned and like Abby says the forest take care of its own.
She refused to sell her land because she knew “The wrath of the gods would bring about the complete destruction of humankind. All because of one man’s greed for money.”

The book was vividly told in a way that has the reader transported to the swamp. It was as if I could close my eyes and reach out to touch the beautiful green fairy with red about her neck and translucent wings. I could smell her scent of lavender, sandalwood and patchouli. The author took me on a magical journey through the swamp so familiar I could have sworn I had visited the land.

With my recent loss of my mom, the book pulled at my heart strings when Abby’s mother appears to her and says “I am always here with you in your heart, Abby. Even if I do not walk this earth with you, your footprints are my footprints, and they have become our footprints.”

Kudos to Colleen Chesebro for her first time out of the gate. You would think she has written 20 plus novels. 5 of 5 Stars

One of the key elements in this story was the Heart Stone necklace that Abby’s mother passed down to her. You can get your own heart stone necklace on Etsy.

 

Book Reviewers Wanted!

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reviewers wanted As you may be aware, I released my debut novel, The Mistreatment of Zora Langston this past week. The book is currently available on Amazon and I am currently running marketing campaigns. What I need now is help from my blogger community. I need people to read and review my book for me. I am looking for objective and experienced readers who like to read coming of age, fiction novels. Since I am a self-published writer, I can not afford to pay people hundreds of dollars to do this for me. What I can do is provide you with a FREE copy of my book in return for an honest review. If you are interested in helping me out, please contact me via email at rebirthoflisa@aol.com for more information. Thanks for your time and consideration. thanks

UPDATE:

Thanks to all who responded. I have all the reviewers I need for this book, but I’m sure I will need more for my future endeavors.