Naomi NealeRecensioni

When I started this book, I didn't think I would get through it, but once I got going, I really got into it. There were some funny laugh-out-loud moments, funny and charming. Probably because I was born in the 50's so I could relate. Thought the ending was predictable.

Usually I don't care for this style much because cute and quirky turns into obnoxious and tiring, but in this case the style actually worked. It starts like a strange episode of a 1950's wife locked in a house with charming (alien-like) children and a perfect (controlling) husband, complete with friendly (spying) neighbors and an annoying (annoying!) mother-in-law. It doesn't take long for the MC to realize her fake life is as fake as it feels, and then the real fun starts.



Gifted with an inventive story that isn't copied in every other book, I was intrigued by the villains and the strange world. I still don't fully get the complexity of the creatures and their intentions, that could have been explained better toward the end, but it's enough to keep my interest and doesn't have issues with pacing. Not big brawl scenes but that would be out of place anyway.

Samantha's a fun main character while she goes around flitting under the nose of her strange mother, rehearsing funny circumstances in her psyche, and flirting with the ever-gorgeous Cor.
Not everything about Samantha is explained, I guess to leave a little mystery left about sequels. I'm suspecting something about a missing father and magical genes.

The base of the book ends up being para-romance; the author made it believable enough that it's because they connect and aren't just joined together through convenient magic. It's neither sultry nor steamy, but it's sweet.

If you want charm, fun circumstances, cute characters, a sweet and simple romance, then Bedlam, Bath & Beyond is a worthy fit.

I get so tired of books about young kids saving the day, but thoroughly enjoyed this one because the author does an excellent job of showing how the enormity of the situation effects the main character. I also enjoyed the magic system employed by this book - it's simple and elegant, and I can and probably will spend hours thinking about it.

Fairly typical chick-lit of a woman trying to find a meaningful life in New York City. Nan has a talent for putting her foot in her mouth at inopportune times, trying the patience of those trying to get or stay close to her. But she is endearing, with her semi-permanent job at Seasonal Staffers, working as a Christmas elf, a Valentine's candy pusher, and so on. Her brothers may make you thankful for your OWN family!

This fantasy adventure novel, a companion to The Glass-Maker's Daughter, takes place mostly at sea. It's got a great mix of magic, action, romance, heart, and characters you care about. Nic, a lowly servant boy, is beset by a curse that causes all of his masters to meet untimely demises; he's smart and humble, and you care about his fate right away (probably because the book starts with his ship being invaded by pirates). Did I mention this book has pirates? And a cursed ship? And a deserted island? And a theater troupe of crazy actors? And costumes? Seriously, this series is one of those published-only-in-paperback ones that get overlooked, but I love them.

This fantasy adventure novel, a companion to The Glass-Maker's Daughter, takes place mostly at sea. It's got a great mix of magic, action, romance, heart, and characters you care about. Nic, a lowly servant boy, is beset by a curse that causes all of his masters to meet untimely demises; he's smart and humble, and you care about his fate right away (probably because the book starts with his ship being invaded by pirates). Did I mention this book has pirates? And a cursed ship? And a deserted island? And a theater troupe of crazy actors? And costumes? Seriously, this series is one of those published-only-in-paperback ones that get overlooked, but I love them.

Risa's adult life is about to begin as the gods are consulted about which insula she will study at. She will leave her family's compound in Cassaforte to study enchantments and learn the family craft. Until the gods decide not to send her to an insula at all, and she is left in limbo to find her own path.

Nic has been a bond-servant since he was born. His masters tend to die quickly of freak accidents; apparently he is cursed. When his latest, and best, master takes their acting troop on tour, their ship is attacked by pirates. Nic must summon unexpected abilities to save his life and his city.

Although it had an interesting topic, this book was dull to me. In fact, I had to put it down several times and began reading other books instead. Once I picked it back up and forced myself to finish it, it wasn't utterly terrible, but it is not among my favorites.

A strong YA-ish fantasy set in a Renaissance Venice-analogue. Sixteen-year-old Risa, daughter of a noble house of glassmakers, is looking forward to going to one of the insulas to study magic. But an unprecedented rejection sets her feet on a different path. Now, with her parents hostage to an ambitious prince and noble houses beginning to fall, she must rely on a new friend and her own courage and new-found talents to save the city from ruin.½

First off, I must say Bedlam, Bath and Beyond is one of the most enjoyable, fun and sexy books I’ve read in a long time (ignoring the fact I’ve not read a lot of books in the past couple months ). Reminiscent of Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels, with a fantasy aspect, Bedlam had me laughing out loud at times, and feeling… erm, rather warm at other times.

Click for my full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/bedlam-bath-and-beyond-by-j-d-warr...

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Oct08

“Crate & Peril” by J.D. Warren is a lighthearted romp through a world filled with some very odd characters. Warren’s fairies (and they HATE to be called that) are definitely NOT like the ones from your childhood tales. Instead these ‘Kin’ are enigmatic and complicated. They have as many complexes as your average Jerry Springer guest and at times, they can resort to some pretty horrific acts...but that’s the ‘bad’ fairies. The good ones are still complicated and sometimes hard to understand, but at least they don’t consider humans as vermin!

This second book in Warren’s series picks up where “Bedlam, Bath and Beyond” left off. The heroine Samantha has hooked up with our hero Cor (all the fairies have nicknames because their real ones are long and dorky) and provides information and assistance to Cor’s band of Storm Ravens. The Storm Ravens are the ‘enforcers’ of the world of the Kin. They hunt down wrong-doers and other Kin who are ‘playing’ poorly with humans and deal with threats in both their ‘human’ and animal forms. In the first book Sam was rescued from a trap set by a truly evil fairy that is looking for a kingdom in hell. All that’s left for this nasty female Kin to do is come up with the required human baby sacrifice. Thankfully, Sam and Cor along with his Storm Ravens were able to thwart the nasty Kin’s plans. In this second book, the nasty Kin is back and this time her plan is even more heinous…a dumb human blonde has been impregnated with the Devil’s baby in order to grow the sacrifice. Sam and Cor become entangled in this plot and must do their parts to save the day. Along the way, Sam discovers some new friends, some new enemies, secrets about her heritage, and some secrets about Cor and his lineage.

Although there is plenty of humor in “Crate & Peril”, there’s also quite a bit of action and romance. There are plenty of interesting secondary characters that took me a bit to keep straight. Sam is a complex and sometimes unlikable character that requires more thought than your average romance heroine. The rules and history of Warren’s fairy world become more important in this second book and do require some concentration to keep up with. The setting in California is a bonus, as where else would a fairy tale land be set in today’s modern world? On the downside, the sex between Sam and Cor seemed almost to be inserted every so often to keep adult readers interested rather than an integral part of the plot. Of course, that may just be me!

In all, I enjoyed this second book in J.D. Warren’s series more than I did the first. “Crate & Peril” didn’t take long to read and kept me entertained and thinking the whole time. It’s not a book I’ll put on my keeper shelf, but I will keep my eyes open to see where Warren takes this interesting cast of characters next.

Wonderful time travel story from a woman's viewpoint. I found this book on sale & got it to swap. At first glance , I thought that this story wouldn't appeal to me. Wow, was I wrong. Great story-very well written.

Naomi Neale writes an utterly forgettable tale about a present-day trendspotter in an advertising firm who loses her job for being 'too modern'. She gets zapped back in time to the 1950s where she finds herself in the identical body of a Machiavellian ice queen extraordinaire.

In an attempt to 'fix' 1959 she incites a sit-in, hires black employees, and attempts to warn political figures of dangerous assassins. Of course, it would help if she had ever paid attention in history class...

This book did have charming potential, but it fails to follow through with any of it. Apparently adapting to the 1950s is fairly simple; it's not that different from today. After some initial wardrobe disasters, everything goes fairly smoothly. And that's most of the problem. There are no real mishaps, few misunderstandings, and the conflicts that are created never really get resolved.

The title has nothing to do with the book, and the ending is a pure cop-out. Worst of all, I didn't ever really get into it. The main characters weren't all that interesting, and the secondary characters were pure cardboard cutouts.

Disappointing at best. Likely to lend further credence to the assumption that all heroines in chicklit must be self-absorbed morons. (She can't remember who landed on the moon? C'mon, now...)

Synopsis: After spending most of her twenties in limbo-working at seasonal jobs and dating a series of commutement-challenged men-twenty-eight-year-old Nan Cloutier is determined to let go of her past and present hurts, find a permanent job, and fall in love with the right guy.

My review: I could not get into this story at all. The characters nor the plot could hold my attention.

One day read. Very enjoyable. Sweet story. Typical, 20-ish city girl looking to find herself and love in the big city. Works as an "elf" in department store's "cheering squad" and meets grandson of owner. They meet, loose eachother and then re-find eachother. Boy meets girl, looses and finds girl again. Really nice. Like her writing style. Look forward to read more by author.

funny and charming, but predictable