Being Green by Cynthia Sax

Being Green by Cynthia Sax is a science fiction, erotica/romance short story 49 pages in length and is part of the 'Cyborg Sizzle Series'.

I was able to download Being Green by Cynthia Sax for FREE to my Kindle from Amazon. Below is my honest, unbiased review for Being Green by Cynthia Sax.

I liked Being Green by Cynthia Sax despite it being predictable and formulaic. The writing was decent and so were the storyline and the characters. Being Green by Cynthia Sax has a happy ending and no major complications.

Below is the plot summary for Being Green by Cynthia Sax from Amazon:

Can a stubborn scientist and a sexy cyborg make love grow?

Green, a cyborg warrior, cares for one being—his plant Windy. When Windy becomes sick, he’ll do anything to heal her, even venture across the universe to visit a worlds-renowned plant doctor.

He doesn’t expect to find love.

Doctor Shelby Cooper is the sole resident of a tiny planet. She prefers to be alone rather than risk caring for another being and then losing him. The curvaceous scientist is determined to resist Green’s patient caresses, his thought-burning kisses, his slow seduction.

She has underestimated the power of a cyborg’s passion.

Being Green is a short companion story in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is meant to be read after Releasing Rage.

It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.

I am giving Being Green by Cynthia Sax a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Little Free Library @ the Lafayette Community Garden in Lafayette, California

Little Free Library outside the Lafayette Community Garden.

Last weekend, my husband and I visited the Lafayette Community Garden in Lafayette, California, which we learned was established in Spring of 2012. The Lafayette Community Garden is a cooperative vegetable garden. 

Garden hours are as follows:

Tuesday: 4pm - 7pm

Thursday: 9am - 12pm 

Saturday: 9am - 1pm

I also discovered that the Lafayette Community Garden has a Little Free Library outside its entrance, which is how I learned about the Lafayette Community Garden in the first place.

Below are some photos of the Lafayette Community Garden.

Entrance to the Lafayette Community Garden.

Squash

Various Vegetable Beds

Oak Tree

Chickens

What a great place/space to grow your own vegetables!! It makes my heart smile knowing that communities offer spaces where people can grow their own produce. 

Additionally, having a Little Free Library onsite is also a perk too!

Top Ten Tuesday - Longest Books I’ve Ever Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below is a list of lengthy novels I've read over the years and enjoyed reading at the time. The funny part is that I don't really read many lengthy novels now. 

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (850 pages)
2. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (691 pages) ~ This is one of my all time favorite novels ever written!
3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (576 pages) ~ This is another one of my all time favorite novels ever written!
4. Queenie by Michael Korda (626 pages) ~ I read this novel in high school over 30 years ago. I loved this novel.
5. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (608 pages)
6. The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum (646 pages)
7. The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum (752 pages)

8. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (976 pages)

9. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (1104 pages)

10. The Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (1070 pages)

Share with me some of your favorite lengthy books in the comment section below!

The Alternate Nobel Prize in Literature

If you've been following the news the past few months, you've likely learned that the Nobel Prize in Literature has been cancelled for 2018. 

Oddly, however, an Alternate Nobel Prize in Literature has been created and is going to be awarded on October 12, 2018.

Here's the thing, ever since I read about the 'sex scandal' surrounding the Nobel committee earlier this year, I thought the Nobel Prize for Literature was going to be cancelled for this year and (possibly) next year until things were straightened out.

In lieu of this information, I've been having a difficult time wrapping my brain around the entire idea of an 'Alternate Nobel Prize for Literature' being awarded on October 12th. 

If a Nobel Prize in Literature isn't going to be awarded this year, due to a scandal, that's fine. Just don't come up with an alternate prize for the Nobel Prize in Literature and then refer to it as the 'Alternate Nobel Prize for Literature' as that sounds lame. 

Either it is the real Nobel Prize in Literature or it is not... Coming up with some woo woo term/alternate name for the Nobel Prize in Literature feels/sounds disrespectful to the idea of winning/awarding a Nobel Prize. Simply don't award a prize this year and move the heck on.

Does anyone else feel the same way?? Or are you fine with the idea of an 'Alternate Nobel Prize for Literature' being awarded??

Heat by Jade C. Jamison

Heat by Jade C. Jamison is a very hot and steamy erotica short story approximately 35 pages in length. I was able to download this short story for FREE to my Kindle from Amazon. Below is my honest, unbiased review of Heat by Jade C. Jamison.

I thought Jade C. Jamison's writing was good and engaging. I liked the storyline, plot development, and characters in this short story. The only downsides for me were the predictable ending of the story and also the dreaded cliffhanger ending... Heat is the start of a series... You must read the rest of the series (four stories total in the 'Heat' series) to see where Spike and Rachel's relationship leads. 

I liked this first short story well enough, but I doubt I'll continue with the rest of the 'Heat' series by Jade C. Jamison.

Below is the plot summary for Heat by Jade C. Jamison from Amazon:

Rachel Donahue’s dream job as a financial advisor makes her all work and no play. In fact, her only luxury is her weekly visit to the spa. But her regular masseuse is on leave due to a skiing accident and his stand in, a guy who goes by the moniker “Spike,” is off-the-charts hot, exuding the most irresistibly sexy vibes Rachel’s ever been drawn to—reminding her that she’s a woman with needs. How the hell can she relax like she’s supposed to when he’ll be touching her bare flesh?

She can’t…and he knows it.

One thing leads to another and she experiences her first “happy ending” massage. She’s horrified and embarrassed, and her only salvation is that he’s not her usual masseuse. She decides she won’t go back to the spa until her regular guy returns. Except the next day at work, Rachel’s last appointment of the morning is a new client, Sergio Romano…a guy whose career name happens to be Spike Steel.

And the temperature has only just begun to rise…

I am giving Heat by Jade C. Jamison a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

A Little Big Rock by Lauren Blakely

A Little Big Rock by Lauren Blakely is a romance short story approximately 32 pages in length. I was able to download this short story for FREE to my Kindle from Amazon. Below is my honest, unbiased review for A Little Big Rock by Lauren Blakely.

This isn't my first experience reading anything written by Lauren Blakely. I read and reviewed another one of her short stories in June 2015 titled, First Night, which I loved at the time! So with that in mind, I decided to give another one of her short stories, A Little Big Rock, a go last month.

Well, let's just say that I wasn't wowed with A Little Big Rock!! The writing is decent and engaging enough for a short story, but I felt like the story was rushed, the characters weren't as developed as I would have liked, and the ending was not the best... I am already forgetting the plot details and it has been a week since I've read A Little Big Rock. I say pass on this short story!

The following is a plot summary for A Little Big Rock by Lauren Blakely from Amazon:

My best friend is freaking awesome.But don't just take my word for it. Consider all his attributes.First, let's start with the obvious one.Size.He has this one fantastic bone in his body. It's bigger than other guys'. It's thicker, longer, more powerful.C'mon. I'm talking about his funny bone.Spencer Holiday makes me laugh like no one ever has. Sarcastic, self-deprecating, and always at attention with a joke--that's him.Except, it's no joke when he asks me to be his fake fianceé for a week.The trouble is I'm already falling for him before we even start.Oops.
**A Big Rock short story told from Charlotte's POV...this is an optional prequel to Big Rock!**

I am giving A Little Big Rock by Lauren Blakely a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars. 

Until my next post, happy reading!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

50/50 Friday - Best/Worst Book Read in September 2018

50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reads and Laura @ Blue Eye Books. This fun themed meme focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc). Every week a new topic will give bloggers the chance to showcase their answers.

This week's theme is your Best/Worst Book Read in September 2018.

Best Reads in September 2018

Drama by Raina Telgemeier
(Click on above link to read my review.)

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
(Click on above link to read my review.)

Worst Read in September 2018

The Mating Chase by Bonnie Vanak
(Click on above link to read my review.)


Which books were your best/worst reads
during the month of September 2018?

Cold Backed by Candace Carrabus

Cold Backed by Candace Carrabus is a mystery short story with a horse theme and is approximately 38 pages in length.

I was able to download this novel for FREE to my Kindle from Amazon. Below is my honest, unbiased review.

If you love horses, then maybe this is the short story for you... I love mysteries and animals in general, but I found Cold Backed by Candace Carrabus didn't do it for me. It wasn't a horrible read... Just meh. The plot details and characters will soon be forgotten.

The following is a plot summary for Cold Backed by Candace Carrabus from Amazon:

Viola Parker can’t land a job since the famous jumper, Wastrel, crashed to his death with her aboard. She can barely afford her whipped-cream-in-a-can addiction.

When she finds her mentor unconscious, she suspects foul play and wonders if her old friend, Harry, has answers. But Harry disappears with the truth, leaving behind a mysterious delivery and cryptic confession.

A short story prequel/prologue to the Dream Horse Mysteries with a preview of On the Buckle: Dream Horse Mystery #1.

I am giving Cold Backed by Candace Carrabus a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Ghost Coach by Amanda Linehan

Ghost Coach by Amanda Linehan is a paranormal short story and is 15 pages in length. I was able to download this short story for free from Amazon to my Kindle. 

Below is my honest, unbiased opinion of Ghost Coach by Amanda Linehan.

I read this short story last month. It sounded like a cute, fast, fun read... Plus, it had four, 5-star reviews on Amazon, so I decided to give it a go.

Well, I was disappointed by the end of Ghost Coach and was left wondering why it had four, 5-star reviews on Amazon. I loved the concept of this short story, but I thought it had been poorly executed. I found myself wanting to rewrite this short story and either make it more of a horror short story or a paranormal romance short story. 

Essentially, this story is about a ghost who isn't very scary. He's trying to scare Sarah, but isn't successful in scaring her at all. So why does this ghost want to scare someone so badly?? By scaring someone, the ghost will finally become visible, which he wants to have happen very badly. The ghost finally solicits Sarah for help. He wants her to teach him how to scare someone. She tries to help him out repeatedly without success. However, they do become friends over time. The ghost finally gives up and says he's going to cross over to the other side, but doesn't end up doing so... He returns to see Sarah and accidentally scares her in the process, which leads him into becoming visible. How Sarah ends up getting scared was odd. Plus, I thought once the ghost became visible, Sarah and the ghost would start a romance, but that didn't happen. Ghost Coach simply had a flat ending.

I am giving Ghost Coach by Amanda Linehan a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!