"BODY SWAP: Catastrophe!!!" by Katrina Kahler

Kindle: Paperback:
☆☆☆☆☆ out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that every book starts off with the full boat-load of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not afraid to return a docked star if there's a magic little sentence that the author has put in.

Let's get going shall we?

Oooh! I like the front cover... it's kinda giving me the feeling that it'll be like older comic book humour? Let's see if that's the reality :-)

Pretty much straight into the action and I've even raised a slight smile a few times, which is pretty much unheard of for me. I'm enjoying this book so far and I hope it continues like that!

Oh yes, this is definitely a good book. The author has well and truly got into the head of her character and the slight smiles are still appearing occasionally, which is incredible considering I'm only 36% of the way through the book. I doubt I'll finish it before bedtime, but that's OK, I already feel lighter so I'll hopefully feel easier about going to sleep tonight and I'll stick my nose straight back into it when I wake up tomorrow.

What. An. Incredible Book. I managed to get it finished in one sitting after all, but I can't wait to read the others now! Definitely a must-read!

"BODY SWAP - Books 2, 3, and 4" by Katrina Kahler

Kindle Unlimited:
☆☆☆☆ out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that every book starts of with the full whack of stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover.

I read the first book in this series in just over 2 hours yesterday and there's 3 in this one book, so I'm thinking it'll take around about 6 hours to finish this one in. I'm not gonna rush it, if it's anywhere near as good as the first in the series then I'll devour every word.

Let's get going.

Oh dear, the first 5 pages were good again, but that dreaded copyright/trademark infringement has already cropped up, so heartbreakingly, after only 1% of this set of books, we're already down to 4 stars :-( I hope that magic sentence is at the back so that the star can be replaced!

Ah right, I know how old the main character is now so I know he's in the US equivalent of secondary school so the reading age is about right and it's definitely a Middle Grade book.

Ooh that chapter was good and it raised a small smile out of me. The author has got everything spot on again so far in this book.

I'm still enjoying this book, it's just not as gripping as the first one in the series unfortunately.

Ooh! *That* was a surprise ending to that book! The author is dangling a piece of chocolate just out of my reach again!

Onto the second of the three books in this book but the third of the series of 4 (if that makes any kind of sense at all lol)

Oooh! It's take 2.5 books, but there's finally a mention of Mum! No spoilers, don't worry lol

Ooh! Another cliff-hanger at the end of book 3! There's only half an hour left until my bed-time so I'll read the last book tomorrow and constantly think about how it will end while I'm asleep lol

It's been 20 days since I last read this book and I've forgotten every word of what's already happened, thanks to my neurological disability but I'm hoping that I'll be able to quickly get back into the fourth book in the series and hopefully finish it before I head to bed.

Oooh! Has the author decided to not only start winding down the book, but the entire series too?

I was right about winding down the series but wrong about how it would end - it's a happy-ever-after but not in the way I was expecting.

I'm sooo glad I discovered the first book and decided to carry on reading.

"The Self-Sufficient Princess" by Sanguine Addams

Kindle Unlimited: Audiobook: Hardcover: Paperback:
☆☆☆☆ out of 5

Every book I read and review starts off with the full shed-load of stars and I'm always hopefull that they will all be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. Saying that though, I should also be completely honest with you about my removal of stars... they are usually for copyright or trademark infringement which always breaks my heart when I feel I have to make an otherwise very much 5 star book a 4 star instead. I always give my reasons for dropping each star - they don't just suddenly disappear into thin air. I've also replaced a star once due to a magic little sentence at the very back of the book and I'm more than happy to do it again if I read that magic sentence in a future book too.

I'm making a late start on this book so doubt I'll get more than a couple of chapters read before I head to bed, but at 370 pages, it's my longest one for a veeery long time so I'm in it for the long haul with my free week this week.

Let's get going and see how much I can read in the next couple of hours before I head to bed.

My Kindle is telling me that it'll take me 7 hours and 24 minutes to read so, in theory, I'll get it finished by bedtime tomorrow, but we shall see.

The first page was a completely different way to start a story! I hope it'll continue like that so that each page isn't torture to read!

An awesome first chapter but the measurements of feet and inches rather than centimeters and metres might confuse non-American readers as this is definitely an American author who spells it "mom" instead of the British way. The star stays purely because of where it was written and the author may never have dreamed that it'd leave America so to knock a star off purely because they couldn't see the future.

There have been a few opportunities to use brand names and book titles but the author has skillfully dodged getting the usual star knocked off which is a huuuuge relief.

I'm up to page 12 of the first chapter so they are going to be looong chapters, but it's a mid-teens novel that has been well-written so far so the star stays on for that reason too.

Wowsers. What an end to the first chapter. The first chapter was 13 pages long and I loved every word. There's gentle humour threaded through the authors carefully chosen words so it's got me wanting to keep reading until bedtime, safe in the knowledge that there prolly won't be any pleas of being better the next day or the threat of nightmares or not being able to sleep soundly because of what I've read (which is incredibly easy to do and the main reason that I don't read horror or thrillers). So far, this book is definitely 10/10 from me.

Oh dear. On page 23 the author has used the name of a very famous person who was offered the chance of royal life before she and her hubby rejected it... know who I mean without me naming her? The author has named her so they had better tread even more carefully than normal unless they want serious trouble from the Royal Family!

And another couple of celebrity names means the first star is coming off unfortunately.

Up to chapter 3 now and I'm seriously loving this book so far... definitely one of those "should've been 5 stars" books.

And now the name of a well-known search engine. In less than a chapter the second star is wobbly too... one more mention of a brand name or trademark or use of copyrighted material and the second star plops off already. I had such high hopes for this book, but it's heading the way of so many others unfortunately!

Up to page 54 and it's almost my bedtime, but 54 pages in about an hour and a half ain't too bad and I'm on track for finishing a around this time tomorrow, but for tonight and with the image of Sir Chad and Mittens making me smile, it's time to stop reading for the night now.

Back for another day's reading and reviewing now... how far will I get today?

Do search engine names come under Trademark infringement laws? I'm assuming that they do, so the fourth star starts off the day safely.

Chapter 4 was 19 pages long and I enjoyed that one too. This review is already faaaar too long, so like with my other reviews I'll just comment on the big things from now on in this review.

So proud of Mittens, but one character with three names is a bit too much... I can't even remember what the third name is now lol

Up to page 221 now, so I've managed to put in a decent amount of reading today.

There haven't been any more reasons to knock off a star and bits and pieces have made my heart beat faster and even get reasonably close to tears of pride - the author has an amazing way with words, but I'm stopping reading for the night again now and I'll prolly finish reading and reviewing this incredible book tomorrow.

A third day of reading is about to start and, like yesterday, I won't comment on absolutely everything, just the noteworthy stuff. How will the novel end... will I be laughing, groaning, shaking my head or sobbing?

Up to chapter 14 and the author is starting to raise my hopes with Gale and the newest suitor... will Gale get scared and shoo him away or will she gulp down her nerves and live happily ever after?

There's a second potential suitor in the next chapter... will Gale have the guts to be honest with him about who she is?

Judging by chapter 16 it'll be a tear-jerker ending so I'm gonna temporarily stop reading there, so that I don't have to answer the door with a tear-stained face... I'm up to page 308 so I haven't got a clue how many pages are left considering my subscription said that it was 300 pages long... it's a long read but sooo worth it.

Ah, sod it... I *will* keep reading and if I have to answer the door mid crying session then so be it! I *have* to know what happens next and this book has got me pulled right into it, hook, line and sinker!

I was wrong about potentially bursting into tears... it rapidly went from emotional at the end of the previous chapter to joyful throughout chapter 17! I'm up to page 331 so far and I'm gonna risk another chapter before I have my lunch - will this be a tear-jerking chapter or another upbeat one?

Wowsers! I wasn't expecting *anything* that happened in that chapter!

What an ending... it's a warm, fuzzy ending with appropriate humour and the potential for tears, but none from me. A definite must-read book that's one of those "shoulda been 5 stars" ones that gets a hearty recommendation from me.

"My Mom's a Witch" by Debbie Aubrey

Kindle: Paperback:
☆☆☆ out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent-ish book reviews, you'll already know that each book I read an review starts off with the full shedload of stars and I'm always hopeful that they'll still be stuck in concrete by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about knocking stars off, but I always give my reasons for doing so.

The Kindle version promises that this book is "Funny magical fantasy fiction that's ever so slightly bonkers" which is a huuuuge statement to have to live up to when it comes to me and my sense of humour lol If I even raise a smile, I'll consider it achieved, otherwise it's a nope from me.

Oh dear. The second paragraph of the entire book and the first star is already wobbly because of the use of a well-known singer... will it plop off before the end of the first chapter?

There's another famous name, this time of a cartoon/film character so after only 2 paragraphs the first star has already plopped to the floor.

And a third famous name at the start of the second page... I'm already wondering if I'll make it to the end of the book with even a single star left!

Page 4 and a fourth famous name is dropped in without permission from the appropriate Trademark holder too, I bet.

And a fifth famous name on the fourth page, along with a well-known telly programme, so the second star comes off after only 4 pages... this isn't looking good unfortunately.

It was incredibly hard work, but I've finally got to the end of the first chapter... just a pity that it's already lost two stars.

Chaper two was OK... nothing to write home about, but I'm starting to understand the so-called humour now - it's just a pity that it's taken 17% of the book to get there!

The third and fourth chapters were good... the author is really getting into her stride now. There were occasional typos but I could still understand what she was trying to get across.

I'm 51% of the way through the book now, so it feels like a good place to stop for the night... will I have nightmares about those descriptions of what happened in Scotland though? I seriously hope not, but there's only one way to find out!

Nope, no nightmares, thankfully, so lets keep reading and reviewing the book shall we?

Chapter 7 was good, but I don't recommend reading it around the time you're gonna eat, like I have ;-)

Oh dear... they didn't plan that very well, did they? No spoilers, but with 31% to go and it being a children's book, I hope it'll be a happily ever after story!

I wasn't expecting any of *that*! Could the end of chapter 9 be a hint of a potential sequel?

And we're back to using big brand names again, but I've already taken a star off for that, so the three stars are still safe.

I wasn't expecting the last chapter, but it was fun and I can see children loving it!

"Like A Brother" by Nathanael Lessore

Kindle Audiobook Paperback
☆ out of 5

It's been a while since I read and reviewed my last children's book but this first paragraph will still be the same as the last one, which says that each book I read and review starts off with the full 5 stars and I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. The most common reason for an otherwise 5 star book becoming a 4 star book is through the use of copyrighted and/or trademarked brands potentially without permission. There has been one book so far that has had the star rapidly replaced thanks to a magic little sentence right at the back saying that the author had gained permission to use the brand name - it's only happened once so far in the hundreds of books that I've read and reviewed so far, but I'm always hopeful that it'll happen again and I'd love to read that magic little sentence again.

I was pre-approved by the publisher to read and review an ARC of this book a month before it was published.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

The buying information says that this book is for "11 years and up" and is 336 pages long which is too long for a middle-grade book unless it's a sci-fi or fantasy book, so the first star is already wobbly before I've even opened the book. It also says that it's a "teen comedy" but 11 year olds aren't teenagers and I already don't know if this is a middle-grade or teen book!

I'm at the end of the second chapter and there have already been a couple of word choices that an 11 year old wouldn't understand and a mis-placed capitalisation that should have been picked up waaaay before the publisher put it into pre-publication circulation so the first star is already coming off at the end of the first page.

And now, on page 3, we've got two English football teams named, so the second star is already coming off... will I make it to the end of the first chapter without removing the third star??

I think the author is as confused about the ages of his characters as I am because they've just become teenagers, but the author hasn't said how long ago that was... was it this year? Last year? Longer than that? According to my Kindle, I'm 2% of the way through the book and the utter confusion is making me take the third star off... there's 98% to go and only one star left before it officially becomes a DNF for me.

Less than a paragraph later and the author has used two celebrity names/brands which I can't see them giving permission for, so at only 2% and less than a chapter I'm removing the final star and declaring it another DNF unfortunately.