Book Review: H.A. Goodman's Logic of Demons

H.A. Goodman’s debut novel, Logic of Demons: The Quest for Nadine’s Soul, is a fictional tale about the pivotal decisions you make in your life that may effect your afterlife.  What would happen if your pregnant wife was raped and murdered and you knew who the killer was?  Would you seek justice and kill the culprit?  It’s a logic “what if” question; one that we all ponder from time to time.  If that scenario happened to you…what would you do?

The book opens with our hero faced with that conflict. Devin Schwartz's wife is brutally murdered and he’s knows the killer.  With little hesitation, Devin slaughters the man responsible for his wife & unborn child’s death and winds up dead himself, suspending in a bizarre afterlife. Since his vengeance, he’s now deemed a “demon” and is recruited to work for The Company, selling something called “The Formula” to unsuspecting living humans.  With all the conviction that Devin started out with in this book, he certainly lost his bravado when it came to the afterlife.

The bulk of this book was about Devin fumbling through afterlife, attempting to reunite with his wife and child. There were many times were I wanted to smack Devin. Between The Company, the Angels, the Paladins and Satan herself, there was a point in the book where I didn’t know who was telling the truth. Devin acted – often to his detriment – too impulsively, causing more problems for our demonic hero.

The Company (aka Hell), ultimately tasks Devin with selling The Formula to a troubled teenage girl, Nadine. Using The Formula, Devin must convince Nadine to do something heinous. And who is Nadine anyway? In the story, Nadine is this talented anime artist whose parents are dead and she lives with her holy-rolling Uncle. But why her? There’s a billion depressed, self-loathing teenagers out there so what makes her so special? With all the tragedy bestowed on this chick, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. While reading this, I often thought that personal tragedy was the common thread between Devin and Nadine. Could it be that Devin is the key to save or condemn Nadine’s soul? I won’t tell you…you’ll have to find out.

Overall, I liked H.A. Goodman’s novel, Logic of Demons:The Quest for Nadine’s Soul. To be honest, the last 50 pages did it for me.  During Devin's quest, I found there was too much back and forth between afterlife characters/scenes that I didn’t appreciate.  But the ending….ah, the ending…redeemed the book for me. On my KilloMeter, I give H.A. Goodman’s novel, Logic of Demons: The Quest for Nadine’s Soul a 3.5.

Until next time…looking for a killer plot twist, try this book.

Mina B.

Fridays with Fred: A Day at the Park

It's time for Fridays with Fred.  And this week is all about Fred’s day at the park.  The Doggie Park, that is.  He’s been there more than a few times.  You could say...he’s a pretty social pooch.  All frolicking aside, he’s slightly happier chasing his human friends rather than other dogs.  And just look, even the chicks dig him.  It figures it’d be a beagle sniffing around.  And from the next pix, it appears as if Fred missed her when she left.  Typical male. Doesn’t know he’s got until it’s gone. Still, it was a great day, indeed.

Do da doooo...

Well...if you must.



Was it something I said?

Enjoy your weekend.


Until next time…have fun with your canine this weekend.

Mina B.


Looking for other photos of my furry friend, Fred...click here and here.

Book Review: Lucienne Diver's ReVamped

Straight off my last review, I’m continuing on with Lucienne Diver’s second book in her YA series, Revamped.  I liked this one much better.  There are spoilers here so reader, beware.

From Book 1, Vamped, Gina and Bobby – the girlfriend/boyfriend vamps – are forced to work with the Feds.  I guess this organization oversees paranormal activity.  In Book 2, Gina and Bobby along with Rick get deputized, trained and assigned to investigate some strange occurrences.

Going undercover, Gina’s assigned as a Goth-type teenager to a local high school, Rick a jock and Bobby a smart, good looking kid who has to hang with the popular crowd. Having Gina be a pretend Goth girl was funny, indeed.  Her real personality – aside from being a vamp – is the exact opposite of the Goths.  I like how she immediately embraced her challenge and made friends.  Very cool.  As for Rick, I was terribly confused about his purpose.  He seemed to cause more problems – and for no good reason either.  I’d personally like to see Gina beat (possibly kill) his ungrateful butt!

Gina was wittier than ever this time around.  The odd thing about her is, she comes across like an airhead but then in her musings/actions she ends up…semi-intelligent.  I found her entertaining - just like before.  Sadly, Gina and Bobby didn’t get much face time.  I wasn’t too happy about that which makes me think maybe they aren’t as perfectly matched as I'd hoped. Ulric was my absolute favorite new character in the series and then, of course, Alistaire (but he wasn't new). I hate to say this but I’m not feeling the love so much with Bobby. :(  Ulric on the other hand was off the charts hot.  At first, I wasn’t sure what side he was on but I liked him.  He wasn’t all cookie-cut – and with his uniqueness…I wanted more.  Alistaire was bizarre, menacing, exciting and a breath of fresh air into the plot.  I’d like an entire book on Alistaire alone, but that’s me.

As far as the plot, the vampire council is back with a whole string of new characters.  And guess what…they are turning teenagers again.  Having Alistaire back and confronting his father added to the intrigue factor for me. There was a trader within one of the groups.  I wasn’t surprised it was one of Gina’s Goth gals.  I’m not sure what is next in this series but if it has anything to do with Gina, Alistaire and Ulric…I can’t wait to find out.  This book is fun YA read.  It's PG enough where you could toss it to your teenager and not worry.  And it has just enough vamp intrigue in it that a teen shouldn't get bored. 

On my KilloMeter, I give Lucienne Diver's YA book, Revamped a 3.75

Until next time….read on and as often as you can.

Mina B.

Book Review: Lucienne Diver's Vamped

Today I’m reviewing YA vamp tale, Vamped by Lucienne Diver. I was really excited to read this series since I already had a copy of Book 2, Revamped in my hands. I couldn’t read it, though without reading Vamped first, right? Youbetcha. Beware, there are some spoilers in this review.


Gina Covello woke up one evening as an undead vampire, climbing her way out of a coffin. That scene would be normal for any undead creature, but for Gina and her divalicious style, it was downright criminal. And who was responsible for her undead transformation…Bobby Delvecchio. This one-time geek/chess champion was not as dull as Gina recalled, especially after he showed up in the graveyard, holding two, filled Macy shopping bags. The second she saw those bags, Gina began warming up to the unlikely hero.

For me, Gina’s character was lively, snarky and brazen from like page 2. Her dominating personality was slightly schizophrenic - to the point of her hearing voices in her head. This all went well with the story, told from her point of view. She was the perfect, popular teenager that wouldn’t let “being dead” stand in the way of her maintaining fashion sense. For as narcissistic as she was, I found it funny that she couldn’t see her image reflected in a mirror. I thought that was the perfect touch for  her self-involved vamp personality type. Add the fact that she’s a teenager and you have quite a character on your hands.

Eventually, Gina did begin putting others first. Hey, even as an undead bloodsucker, she was still maturing. I really liked her boy toy, Bobby, and would have liked to had more of him in the book. Oh well.

As for the plot…it unfolded a bit awkward for me. First there was Mellisande going around creating an army of vamp teenagers at the local high school. And then there were so many different characters between humans and vampires, Mellisande minions and council members; I had a hard time following the “who’s” in a scene.

I liked Gina’s spirit, though and was inspired by her willingness to lead the charge against the Mellisande. But when the end erupted into her “coming out” to the Police/media/public, I was like…huh? I didn’t really get it until the Man in Black sauntered in. Then, I’ll admit I was intrigued. Through all the trials these teenagers endured, it was clear someone of power would always try to control them. Gina seemed to be jockeying around to different players throughout the tale in an effort to survive. In the end, they were left with another entity attempting to control them. And what does this mean for Gina? Not sure but I’ll have to wait to read Book 2…Revamped. Stay tuned as I plan on reviewing this book soon.  On my KilloMeter, I give Vamped a 3.

Until next time…read a YA book, try Lucienne Diver’s Vamped.

Mina B.

Fridays with Fred: Fall

It’s officially Fall for us, here in SoFlo.  And yes, we do have leaves.  Lots of them.  Just ask my neighbor. Hah!

As you can see, Fred’s getting in on the leaf action.  He’s normally a bit more animated than this but hey, at least he “stayed” for the shot.  He’s such a good sport like that.  Anyway, since it’s November and the cool air has managed to drift its way down south, I thought I'd show a pix of Fred partaking in the action.  Have a great weekend.

Take the pix already, would ya?

Until next time…

Mina B.

If you missed last week's Halloween pix...see Fred here.

My First Blog Award

I got my first ever blog award. Woohoo! *pops champagne cork*

It's called a "Great Blog Neighbor Award".  So here goes my acceptance speech...

*sniffle* I’d like to thank all my readers for making this possible.  My near empty bank account for all the books I’ve bought and read.  And of course…*sigh, wipes a tear*…my own personal writing is the real reason for this celebratory day.  I probably wouldn’t be here if I didn’t write.  But alas…I still read. (I won’t discuss the slight hair loss I acquired during writing and editing my own stuff.) Another big thank you goes to my Google followers; who apparently think more of me than Google does. (According to Google I’m ranked a whopping zero.  Hey, let’s stay positive, guys…at least I’m ranked.)  The point is…*mind wanders as to what I was saying…ah, yes*…the point is I’m honored.  THANK YOU, Missy from Missy's Reads and Reviews.

Rules:
1. Thank the person you received this award from.
2. Pass it one to 10 other bloggers.
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know about the award.


And now *drum roll*…It is my pleasure to announce ten, nine blogs I deem worthy of the aforementioned  award….

• Rex Robot Reviews
• BookHounds
• Forever Young (Adult)
• John Smith Books
• Reads, Reviews and Recommends
• Super Girl Reader Reviews
• The Book on the Hill
• The Romantic Type
• Insert My Title Here

If you can’t accept the award, I understand.  Just make a mental note that I thought enough of you to nominate you. That’s how much I heart you!  I guess the deal is you now will have to pass the award on. Whew! For me, this was pretty intense. A lot of accepting, passing, speech writing and blog posting.  But...I wouldn't change a thing.  Thanks, Missy!

Until next time…isn’t it nice to get recognized for something?

Mina B.

And the winner of my Spooktacular Book Blog Hop Contest is...

Congratulations to WCC, White Chocolate Cherries for winning my Spooktacular Blog Hop Contest.  The winner was chosen through the established and reputable Random.org.  My participation in the Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway Hop was to celebrate my 100th blog post.  It was my first hop and I had a blast.  I hope you did too!  A big wet kiss and a special THANK YOU to everyone who entered.

In the near future, check back for other Free Book Contests.  You never know when I might spring one on.  This November, I’m planning some killer reviews, and hopefully another author interview (keep your fingers crossed).  Also, before the end of the year, I’m planning on posting a few sample chapters of my novels. About the only thing that mirrors my passion for reading is my writing.  I’m hard at work this November, participating in NaNoWriMo so I hope to finalize one WIP called, Mystic Deeds.  Check out my new pages to read it’s synopsis plus other fun stuff I've scribbled. 

Lastly, I’m definitely planning on doing another yummy giveaway before the end of the year to celebrate my bloggoversary. Yes, folks...in December 2010 it will technically be one year for me.  WOW. Craziness I know.

Until next time…who doesn’t love the Free Sh** fairy? I know I do!

Mina B.