Author Archives: Iiiireader

A great addition to one of my favorite action/thriller series

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Iiiireader

The Scam: A Fox and O’Hare Novel

By: Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Rating: 5 of 5

thescam“The Scam” is the newest book in the Fox and O’Hare series by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. I’ve read the previous books and really enjoyed them and this is the best one yet.

The characters in the story bring Elizabeth Peter’s Vicky Bliss mysteries to mind, except that Kate O’Hare is a tough and well trained FBI agent. The background for these books is that Kate has been on the trail of master criminal Nicholas Fox for years and finally brought him down. Almost immediately, Nick is back out and working with the FBI and especially Kate to bring down other criminals around the world.

(more…)

Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller | Leave a comment

Beautiful India inspired designs

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Iiiireader

Vive Le Color! India (Adult Coloring Book): Color In; De-stress (72 Tear-out Pages)

By: Abrams Noterie

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a smaller format book of designs inspired by the art and the heritage of India. The book has 72 pages of designs and is in a nice compact form (only 7 x 7 inches.) The binding is at the top of the book, so it will be great for both right-handed and left-handed colorists. The binding is very pliable and it would be very simple to remove pages from the book. At the back of the book is a heavy cardboard which gives a good base to support the book if you are working with it in your hand instead of on a tabletop.

The designs are printed on the front side of each bright white medium weight page with the backside blank. The prints themselves range from some with heavy lines to some with very delicate lines. My children’s after-school care was provided by a gracious family from India. Their home was beautiful with many traditional Indian art designs and their clothing was gorgeous. The colors of the saris that they wore will be a huge inspiration to me as I color in this book. The designs are beautiful and have a variety of styles and some have very intricate parts to them. I will probably resort to my magnifying lamp from time to time with this book.
/div>
(more…)

Posted in Adult Color Books | Leave a comment

Beautiful and Edgy Steampunk Fashion Designs

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Iiiireader

Creative Haven Steampunk Fashions Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Marty Noble

Rating: 5 of 5

Steampunk is a genre of books that I have enjoyed for a number of years. The art that has arisen from the literature has been fun and edgy. I have the previous steampunk coloring book by Marty Noble and was really happy to see another one this time focusing on the fashions (though there are still plenty of elements I look for gears, clocks, etc.) The women in the pictures are gorgeous, as usual for Ms. Noble and the fashions outrageous, which is what I look for in steampunk.

The 31 fashion designs are based on those of the Victorian age but are updated with unusual, slightly racy, and spunky twists. These are all in line with what steampunk is about a what-if scenario that changes the way the world works and society would proceed. The designs are elegantly drawn, which is exactly what I have come to expect from Ms. Noble. I am always pleased with her designs and look forward to new ones as they become available. I am hoping that she will come out with another steampunk book that is more dedicated to the machinery of the genre. I would love to see robots and strange cars and flying machines as the focus instead of the background.

(more…)

Posted in Adult Color Books | Leave a comment

Fun mystery debut series

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Iiiireader

Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery

By: Ellen Byron

Rating: 4 of 5

plantationshudders“Plantation Shudders” is a debut mystery series by Ellen Byron. The setting is in a fictional and fairly small town, Pelican, in Louisiana within driving distance of New Orleans.

The sleuth in the story is Maggie Crozat. Maggie has moved home from New York City after her relationship of six years fell apart and her old boyfriend married someone else. Maggie is Pelican “royalty” as both sides of her family can trace their lineage back to plantation owners. Her mother’s family gave up their plantation to the state and Maggie is a tour guide at the old plantation, Doucet, as her main bread and butter job. She also helps out and lives at the ancestral home of her father’s family, the Crozat’s, who have turned their main plantation house into a bed and breakfast as a way to hang on to the property.

(more…)

Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller | Leave a comment

Another good addition to the Fool’s Gold family

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Iiiireader

Thrill Me (Fool’s Gold)

By: Susan Mallery

Rating: 4 of 5

thrillme“Thrill Me” is the last of the latest Fool’s Gold trilogy by Susan Mallery. I am fairly late into the overall series by having read the last ten. Fool’s Gold is a fictional town set at the base of the mountains of California. It definitely seems that if you arrive single in Fool’s Gold, you won’t remain so for very long.

For me, “Thrill Me” suffered a little bit because it followed “Kiss Me”, which was one of my favorites in this series. In the latest book, Maya comes back to Fool’s Gold to try to sort her life out and find out what she really wants to do in the future. Her first love, Del, also ends up in town at the same time. He is also trying to sort out his life. Maya wants to settle down an Del wants to travel the world.

(more…)

Posted in Romance | Leave a comment

Detailed and Abstract Floral Designs Coloring Fun

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Iiiireader

Creative Haven Floral Frenzy Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Miryam Adatto

Rating: 5 of 5

Floral Frenzy is my second adult coloring book by Miryam Adatoo in the Creative Haven line. As with the other book, Fanciful Faces, there are 31 beautiful and wildly abstract designs.

Each design is an explosion of flowers in wild abandon along with beautiful and abstract backgrounds. At first glance in some cases, it is a little difficult to pick out the actual flowers. I can tell that when I color them, I can choose to hide the flowers or to bring them into the foreground of the design. I really like that I have this type of control over the design that I am coloring. It gives me another element of design thought as I plan what I will do with each page.
/div>
(more…)

Posted in Adult Color Books | Leave a comment

Cute and funny story and great illustrations

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Iiiireader

The Princess and the Pony

By: Kate Beaton

Rating: 5 of 5

theprincessandtheponyThis is not quite the princess story I thought I might be reading when I picked it up. It is so much better. It turns out that Princess Pinecone is a pint-sized warrior princess. Her birthday is coming up and, in the past, all she was given were cute and cuddly sweaters. To make sure this year is different, she lets everyone know that what she really wants is a warrior horse. What she gets is a cute, little round pony who has a bit of an issue with tummy gas.

The story is cute and one that appeals to younger children (warrior, ponies, and gas – what’s not to love?) I really love the illustrations – the messy bedroom one is one that reminds me of both of my daughters rooms when they were growing up (except theirs were even more of a mess.) I look forward to reading this book to our little ones – it is unusual to find a Princess book that will appeal as much to boys as to girls.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.

Posted in Childrens | Leave a comment

Good debut with a lot of information to absorb

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Iiiireader

The Girl in the Maze: A Thriller

By: R.K. Jackson

Rating: 4 of 5

thegirlinthemaze“The Girl in the Maze” is an interesting and good debut book by R.K. Jackson. While I am not sure quite how to classify the story, Mr. Jackson was able to grab my attention and keep it attentively on the story from almost the beginning to the end.

The reason I mention I am not sure how to classify it is that there is a mystery component, a thriller/action style component, and finally more of a fiction/literature component.

(more…)

Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller | Leave a comment

Intricate and gorgeous steampunk designs

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Iiiireader

Creative Haven Steampunk Designs Coloring Book (Creative Haven Coloring Books)

By: Marty Noble

Rating: 5 of 5

I have been a fan of Steampunk books and other items for a number of years. I really enjoy the what if nature of genre. In this book, the artist Marty Noble, brings that feeling to an adult coloring book. From the edgy use of gears, bolts, wheels, and other instantly recognizable steampunk elements to the beautiful clothes and hair of both the women and men in the designs, this book encapsulates the genre for me. Ms. Noble is a favorite of mine and this book is certainly one that I will enjoy coloring.
/div>
(more…)

Posted in Adult Color Books | Leave a comment

Funny but predictable story of a rich young woman gone wild

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Iiiireader

Girl Meets Class

By: Karin Gillespie

Rating: 5 of 5

girlmeetsclassI have read and enjoy Karin Gillespie’s previous books in the Bottom Dollar series, so I was looking forward to reading her newest stand-alone book, “Girl Meets Class”. While Ms. Gillespie’s knack for bring humor to any situation is evident throughout, I found the book to be rather predictable in its plot.

The story is about the poor little rich girl, Toni Lee Wells, who is falling further and further into trouble of her own making. While she is not lacking for money, she does seem to lack for purpose and for close relationships with her family. She goes a step too far and gets cut off cold turkey by her family.

(more…)

Posted in Fiction/Literature | Leave a comment