#bookreviewers – Page 38 – Rosepoint Publishing

Hello Again – a Book Review

Title: Hello Again (Dr. Evelyn Talbot Novels)

Genre: Currently #639 on Amazon Best Sellers Rank for Books, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Women Sleuths

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Publication Date: To be released October 3, 2017

Source: St Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley

Title and Cover: Hello Again – Nice cover, not sure it conveys the location or the genre

Apparently there is nowhere you can hide if someone really wants to find you. This book is textbook serial killer, psychological profiling at it’s best. Continue reading “Hello Again – a Book Review”

Sea of Doubt – The Greatest Story Ever Sold – a Book Review

Title: Sea of Doubt: The Greatest Story Ever Sold

Publisher: Clean Publishing

Publication Date: To be released October 3, 2017

Source: Clean Publishing and NetGalley

Title and Author: Sea of Doubt: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Jeremy D. Holden

You know by the title that you are in for a super tongue-in-cheek, intelligent, and socially unacceptable ride and after the hook at the beginning, that’s how this book proceeds with barely a hitch in the giddy-up in the middle.

His former partner suddenly calls in Mal Thomas, who’s sworn off the old high drama, blood pressure raising profession of the marketing world, for a special project. He’s been enjoying the sweet life with his beloved wife in the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and really doesn’t need the aggravation. In the world of high market accounts and powerful men and immense holdings, how can you turn down the plea of one who will willingly back, no matter the cost, the announcement to the world of the Second Coming? Continue reading “Sea of Doubt – The Greatest Story Ever Sold – a Book Review”

Trace by Archer Mayor – a Book Review – Police Procedurals

Title: Trace (Joe Gunther Series #28) by Archer Mayor

Genre: Currently #95 on Amazon Author Rank for Kindle eBooks, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Police Procedurals

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: To be released September 26, 2017

Source: Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press) and NetGalley

Title and Cover: Trace – Cover reflects a piece of the plot

Oh man–not again?! Here I am reading #28 of the Joe Gunther series, Trace. When I accepted the book didn’t realize there were 27 others in the same series out there. But, no problem! It is very likely that the protagonist, Joe Gunther, has been very well fleshed out in prior units. In this novel, we get just a snippet of Joe, and even that much makes him a person of empathetic character. You can tell he’s a good man. Continue reading “Trace by Archer Mayor – a Book Review – Police Procedurals”

Infographic for Click to Tweet Guidelines for WordPress

Mea culpa, and by the way, that is directly from the Oxford Dictionaries that I was so busy posting about on my blog Friday. Yes, I was trying something new, and as always with this old dog, graphic tricks don’t come easy. So apologies to all who received multiple updates as I doggedly tried again to create a “Click to Tweet” to my post. This is a free basic plan–there are paid upgrades (aren’t there always?). You’d think these things would be easier than they are, but apparently everything has to be tantamount to learning Photoshop. I seem to be the last one to figure these things out–or maybe not–if you haven’t tried it lately, perhaps this could help?

Just in case you could use a short Infographic on the whole Click to Tweet thing, I created this one and hope that it helps sufficiently that you will try it, if you aren’t indeed way ahead of me already. Click to Tweet

Continue reading “Infographic for Click to Tweet Guidelines for WordPress”

Twelve Points for Review Submission

Most new Indie authors believe reviews are the make or break of a book and aggressively pursue them.

There are numerous articles on the algorithm Amazon uses to determine Best Sellers Rank. While it is generally considered to be reviews that help to get you to the top of the pack, it isn’t, according to what I’ve read. Amazon won’t disclose its algorithm, but will readily agree that good reviews do seem to help drive sales, which IS the major contributory factor in Best Sellers Rank.

I’ve written before on reviews, discussing whether or not 300 five-star ratings are really all bogus or not. Having written and posted 1,000s of reviews myself, I’ve always strived for honesty, striking a balance between what I liked about the book as well as what I didn’t. The books I review are a mix of Indie books, as well as best-selling authors, and posted those reviews whether the author needed them or not. In addition, in an effort to accommodate a larger variety of genres, I got the CE involved in reading and giving me his synopsis. That also becomes a review.

Reviews can run anywhere from a short informal paragraph or an in-depth analysis of the book of more than 500 words detailing not only the description of the plot but a critical view of how the topic was handled. Point being: Did you agree with the observations or challenge every posture? I’ve developed the following twelve points in the submission of my reviews.

My reviews include:

1 Whether or not the title reflects the topic of the book.

2 Did the cover convey the genre; show you what the book is about without your having to read the blurb?

3 Was the setting properly introduced–did you know where it was located geographically or what year it was?

4 Did the opening chapter grab your attention and did the plot hold your interest throughout the remainder of the book?

5 Is the dialogue believable, natural, or forced?

6 Are the characters properly fleshed out? Can you identify or connect with them?

7 Did the protagonist and antagonist convey a strong opposing emotion?

8 Are the same scenes repeated, albeit with slightly different wording, until you “heard it all before.”

9 Is the plot unique? Is the book outside your normal genre?

10 Did the story end with a plausible climax, wrapping up the loose ends to a satisfying degree, or suddenly end when it appears the author is over-the-top tired of the whole thing.

11 Is it full of typos, edit errors, misused words, missing words, or extra words that should have been deleted from the final edit?

12 Can you honestly recommend the book? Can the book be recommended outside the reader’s normal genre?

Review Format

Since I have been receiving review requests, I thought it was time to change the way I post the reviews. Therefore, after the blurb and review, the format will be changed to reflect additional information about the author, the genre, the publisher, and the date published, followed by the review. The review will be posted on this blog as well as on Amazon and Goodreads. Many of the books are received through NetGalley and most reviews are also shared on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.