Review of Quick, Easy and Delicious Singapore Recipes

Book Review of --

Healthy Cooking: Quick, Easy and Delicious Singapore Recipes by Gerald Smith

Overall star rating --- 5

About the book:

Healthy Cooking: Quick, Easy and Delicious Singapore Recipes is a wonderful collection of the healthy way to cook the nation’s most-loved food. Singapore's multi-ethnic culture and heritage offers a multitude of colourful cuisines, each with its own unique flavour and aroma. Dive into the fascinating history and interesting facts behind each of these delights, and learn how to cook them in a healthy way from the comfort of your home, wherever you are.

The easy to read and follow recipes of authentic food delights from the nation's various ethnic groups will allow anyone, even those with zero cooking knowledge and experience, to produce healthy and delicious Singapore meals to share with loved ones. The recipes include arguably Singapore's national dish Chicken Rice, as well as other world famous delicacies such as Chilli Crab, Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Satay, Roti Prata, Nasi Biryani and many more that are sure to tantalise your tastebuds.

Book creation ratings

Overall total, out of 30 -- 30

-- Subject covered -- 10

-- Cover & title -- 10

-- Editing & formatting -- 10

* based on a 1-10 scale with:  1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10, very good.*

The review --

This is an awesome book, and I really enjoyed reading it. The pictures are excellent, and just reading it is like taking a food tour of Singapore. If you wanted to, you could go to the city and do it for real. The author lists the best restaurants to eat that type of food. It's a must have for any cookbook collection.

Get it on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Cooking-Delicious-Singapore-Recipes-ebook/dp/B01D8P855A

Review of Bieber's Finger by Craig Nybo

Reviewed by -- Lake

        

Book Review of --

Bieber's Finger (The Pan-Galactic Prom Show) by Craig Nybo

        

My overall star rating --- 5

About the book:

An intergalactic pop idol dies in a tragic murder. But one of his most devoted fans isn't ready to say goodbye. Twana Burch, super-fan, waits outside a concert venue for a glimpse of Bieber, the object of her obsession. Her whole world changes when his limo explodes. In the blast, she catches a souvenir, his finger. In the midst of recent controversy surrounding illegal cloning, Twana concocts a plan to resurrect her pop idol and rescue his career by booking him at the biggest concert event in the known universe: The Pan-Galactic Prom Show. Meanwhile... The warrior crew of a dying race of alien creatures sets out into space in a search for help to rescue their war-tattered planet. Their tools: entertainment and propaganda. Their target: The Pan-Galactic Prom Show.

Book creation ratings:

Overall total, out of 30 -- 30        

-- Story & characters -- 10        

-- Cover & title -- 10        

-- Editing & formatting -- 10        

* based on a 1-10 scale with:  1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10, very good.*

The review --

This story is like 2 books combined into one. At first I was scared that I wouldn't like it. Because I really don't get too much into Sci-Fi creatures. So the 1st time, I had to stop listening. But I decided to give it another chance. I'm very glad that I did. WOW! He nailed it. He has such a way with war. His narration takes you out of your world and drops you smack dab into whatever setting the story is in. I hate to blow the plot or anything. But it's about a young Pop star being cloned and an alien group becoming a Rock and Roll band. A great listen!

Reader Recommendations

Genre -- Sci-Fi/Rock and Roll        

Age recommendations -- 16        

Sex content rating -- none        

Violence rating -- War                        

** The author's links for **

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Biebers-Finger-Craig-Nybo/dp/0988406446

Amazon author page

http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Nybo/e/B002BLL4OC/

Website

http://craignybo.com/

Review of Only You by Kate Kelly

Reviewed by -- Jacqueline Driggers

Book Review of -- Only You by Kate Kelly

Overall star rating --- 3

About the book:

Finally free of her cheating husband, Maggie Kennedy is searching for a “real man” to be a sperm donor for the baby she desperately wants, and she figures cowboy country is the place to find one. She’s set her sights on JD Cooper, who fits the bill to a T.

A famous architect, JD retreated to his brother’s ranch three years ago when personal tragedy struck. He doesn’t want a child. He doesn’t want to fall in love. And he most definitely doesn’t want to be part of Maggie’s Next Great Idea.

Book creation ratings:

Overall total out of a possible 30 --  21 

-- Story & characters -- 5

-- Cover & title -- 8

-- Editing & formatting -- 8

* based on a 1-10 scale with:  1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10, very good.*

The review --

This book gets 3 stars based solely on the end of the book; if it was based on the first half of the book, it would only get 2.5 stars. It's not a bad book, but it's not a great one either; would make for good light reading. What really put me off towards the book is the female main character. Right off the bat, she comes off as a shallow, self-centered, vapid, vain, pampered, pompous rich bitch. Not at all likeable. The redeeming feature of the book is the male main character, as he is extremely likeable all the way through.

A good part of the book seems to be devoted to setting up future books in this series, in the form of the main female character's friends. But the storyline, it's just not very likeable. A rich woman feels her biological clock ticking, and decides she wants to have a baby, but she doesn't want to go the artificial insemination route. No, she wants to 'have fun' doing it, and so she picks out a guy, then invites herself to his ranch and plops herself down; she then proceeds to pursue the guy. And she has no intention of telling the guy what she's doing. I mean, the whole thing is repulsive.

Fortunately, towards the end of the book, it does improve. I got this book for free through nominating it on kindle scout. But would I pay money for this book? No, I wouldn't; as I have definitely read much better romance novels.

Reader Recommendations

Genre -- contemporary romance

Age recommendations -- 18 plus

Sex content rating -- moderate

Violence rating -- nil

Links for the book:

Buy it on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U7W76PS

Author's Amazon page

http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Kelly/e/B005LVS406/

Author's facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/katekellywriter/

Author's website

http//:www.katekelly.ca

Review of A Tale of Two Colonies by Aurora Springer

Reviewed by -- Jacqueline Driggers

Book Review of --

A Tale of Two Colonies by Aurora Springer

Overall star rating --- 5

About the book:

Nothing will stand in the way of Tiger Lily's dream of escaping the subterranean slums of Terra and visiting the stars. She enters the fierce competition for a place in the scout team on the next spaceship to the remote planet of Delta, where an earlier colony disappeared. Before the ship departs, the arrival of a mysterious message from Delta suggests that the descendants of the first colonists may have survived.

Their risky mission to seek the lost colony exposes the scouts to unexpected attacks, and they encounter a grim warrior in the isolated valley. Has Tiger Lily met her match in the tortured man? Is he leading them to safety or further danger? And who are the real rulers of this strange world?

Book creation ratings

Overall total, out of 30 possible -- 30

-- Story & characters -- 10

-- Cover & title -- 10

-- Editing & formatting -- 10

* based on a 1-10 scale with:  1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10, very good.*

The review --

This is an excellent book in the tradition of classic sci-fi. It's a great adventure, with great characters that you can get into and care about. There's very little sex in the book, but lots of affection and a love story. Also, there's minimal violence, mostly from the alien animals on the planet. And -- no one dies! I love that.

I love this book. It's a great space adventure that's very well written, and is an excellent read. I highly recommend this book. If you're a science fiction fan, this is a book in the classic syfy tradition. Great characters with an interesting story, in an awesome setting. There wasn't any part of the book that I liked better than another. I liked it all. No draggy spots in this book. It's full of action and energy. I loved the story the author tells. It was wonderful. Great ending too.

Reader Recommendations

Genre -- science fiction

Age recommendations -- 15 and up

Sex content rating -- very mild

Violence rating -- mild to moderate

** The author's links **

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Colonies-Aurora-Springer-ebook/dp/B00MFY8A5Q

Amazon author page

http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Springer/e/B00K2C4NL8

Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/AuroraSpringerNovels/

Website

http://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/

Review of The Transient by M.W. Russell

Reviewed by -- Jacqueline Driggers

Book Review of --

The Transient (The Castle Trilogy Book 1) by M.W. Russell

Overall star rating --- 4

About the book:

She never believed. Not in ghosts, not in friendship, and especially not in love.

When Melodie Gibson moves half way around the world to upstate New York, her entire world turns upside down. Living in a quirky castle turned bed and breakfast, she finds herself confronted with someone watching her every move. That someone is Joseph, who captivates Melodie's heart, fulfilling her dreams and drawing her into his world—a world that is beautiful, magical… and treacherous. It will take all the courage Melodie has to face those who will stop at nothing to rip them apart.

From the pages of a Victorian Gothic novel transplanted into modern times, The Transient is the first in The Castle Trilogy, a powerful fantasy romance series for teens.

Book creation ratings

Overall total, out of 30 possible -- 22

-- Story & characters -- 8

-- Cover & title -- 7

-- Editing & formatting -- 7

* based on a 1-10 scale with:  1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10, very good.*

The review --

Let me begin by saying that this book has a cliffhanger ending. A plus is that there's no sex in the book, and not much violence. But it is very spooky, so if you like the supernatural, then you'll love this. Very likeable characters populate the book, and it's really a ghost romance story. This is a perfect book for the teen reader who likes a bit of the supernatural.

But the prologue of the book has a very dated 2012 reference, which is probably a bad choice; and the prologue makes you feel as if you are coming in on the middle of a trilogy instead of the beginning. Not a very successful prologue.

Reader Recommendations

Genre -- supernatural romance story

Age recommendations -- 12 and up

Sex content rating -- none

Violence rating -- very mild

** The author's links **

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AITK652/

Amazon author page

http://www.amazon.com/M.W.-Russell/e/B0096MJ1I0/

Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/MWRussellBooks/

Website

http://mwrussellbooks.com/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/mibbymw

Review of Valley of Thracians by Ellis Shuman

Reviewed by -- Maegan

        

Book Review of --

Valley of Thracians by Ellis Shuman

My overall star rating --- 5  

     

About the book:

A Peace Corps volunteer has gone missing in Bulgaria and everyone assumes he is dead, everyone except his grandfather, who refuses to give up hope. Retired literature professor Simon Matthews launches a desperate search only to be lured into a bizarre quest to retrieve a stolen Thracian artifact—a unique object of immense value others will stop at nothing to recover. Matthews travels through a Balkan landscape dotted with ancient tombs and fortresses, unaware that his grandson has been confined to an isolated mountain cabin, slowly recovering from a severe head injury. Nothing can be taken at face value, as the woman assisting Matthews in his quest and the nurse caring for his injured grandson may have ulterior motives in helping the two reunite. Even when Matthews succeeds in joining up with his grandson, departure from Bulgaria is only possible if the missing relic can be found.        

Book creation ratings:

Overall total, out of 30 --29        

-- Story & characters -- 10        

-- Cover & title -- 10        

-- Editing & formatting -- 9        

* based on a 1-10 scale with:  1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10, very good.*

The review --

The author has shown that sometimes when kids go down the wrong path, they can turn back to the right one. The author has done a wonderful job describing the places in the story, that it feels like actually being there. In the story, the author shows how strong family ties can be and how to not give up on the ones we love. The characters are very well written and the story flows wonderfully. The history and culture in the book is really awesome and wonderfully written into the story, that it seems like this could have actually taken place.                

Reader Recommendations

Genre -- Historical/ mystery        

Age recommendations -- 14        

Sex content rating -- none        

Violence rating -- mild        

** The author's links **

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Thracians-A-Novel-Bulgaria/dp/1482552442/        

Amazon author page

http://www.amazon.com/Ellis-Shuman/e/B00B68OVJ6/

Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/ellisshumanauthor/

Google plus page

https://plus.google.com/118276821400475014216/about

Website

http://ellisshuman.blogspot.com/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/ellisshuman

Review of Werewolves of New York

Werewolves of New York: 4 Stand Alone Novels: Shifter Romance Boxed Set by Faleena Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an awesome book. If you like paranormal romance, then you'll love this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great characters and great writing. The characters are awesome, and you can totally lose yourself in the story. I did.

This will go on my fave paranormal romance books list. Good writing and unique angle on the whole paranormal romance thing. You get to know the characters and what drives them, and I like that a lot.

If you like paranormal romance, then this is an author you should explore.

View all my reviews