Irish Moon-Amber Scott *review*

Irish Moon by author Amber Scott is a magical adventure set in the beautiful Irish countryside during the 1300's. The story follows Breanne the headstrong healer in training and all around beautiful and beloved princess of the village. Along the way she meets Ashlon, the hunky English Knight whose life has sent him to foreign lands on a secret mission. And mayhap a little love? :)

Magick, cursed cats, murder and mystery, forbidden romance, Irish lore and handsome young warriors fill the pages of this remarkable book. An effortless reading pace makes the pages fly right to end, with the occasional stop to have a bit of fun in mossy groves and a stairway or two. ;)

Enjoyment from beginning to end and another romantic hit from Amber Scott. Go out and get this book today, and just in time for Saint Patrick's Day.

Getting 4 jiggin Sheep. Erin Go Bragh!

KD

This book was a fun mix of magic, old lore, hot men and a small dash of the unknown. Breanne is a beautiful, stubborn, free spirit who speaks to my soul. Lol. I love a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it, even if, or maybe because, it causes a little trouble along the way.

Now enters Ashlon, a hunky knight whose heart is torn between what he wants and his duty. The chemistry between Ash and Breanne made my knees weak. I can tell you here and now that if any man kissed me the way Ash kisses Breanne I would never let him go. Holy smokes! Talk about steamy…

This book captured my interest from the beginning. At the first mention of a talking cat I knew I was hooked. Along the way you meet the awesome characters that make this story come alive. From the feisty best friend, to the jealous would-be husband, they all make this story of mystery, love and fantasy a must read.

4 dreamy eyed sheep!

AC

Play Fling-Amber Scott *review*

***A double review from Amber C. and myself. And re-post for those who may have missed the original***

Cupid, baby, draw back your bow and aim this way....lol

When I found out that Amber Scott's Play Fling was a vamp-free zone, I became a little disappointed. Love those bloodsucking immortals! So, with my hopes not all that high at the start, it ended up being a pleasant surprise to be blown away by how much fun this book actually was.

The story was well written and its pages contained an entertaining variety of characters: a newly divorced single woman, a sexy male bookworm/nerd who is smoking hott, a misguided friend who keeps butting in and making situations worse, meddling in-laws, in-the-closet-lovers, pheromone pumping sex on a plate Cupid (sorry dwhyte, inside joke), and a girl who just cant take NO for an answer. Sounds like fun right? It is.

I'm by no means turning in my vamp card for sexy cupids and FannyPack-wearing nerds, buthubba hubba - they come a close second. Is it just me, or are pocket protectors frelin hot?

*Amber C. shakes her head at me*

No? Just me? Oh well, I think this book is sex-on-a-stick and I'm not ashamed to admit it! Altogether, I really enjoyed this story; it was a delightful change of pace for me. I DEFINITELY recommend that everyone check this one out. Hopefully, Amber Scott will continue this series...

Play Fling gets 4 very happy sheep from me. :)

KD

I had mixed feelings towards this book. I love a fun quirky romance as much as the next girl, and I especially love when the romance has unexpected twists. And this book definitely delivered both for me. However, I have to admit to feeling so frustrated with some of the characters that I wanted to hit something, namely Millie the Cupid. lol.

One aspect that I loved was that there was a hot, young guy smitten with a sexy, confident, older woman. If you’re going be single and in your thirties, there’s nothing better than being a smoking hot cougar. Seriously, this is every woman’s dream. And if hooking up with said hottie ups your chances of getting a better score in your class, that's even better. lol.

Amber Scott really makes the reader feel what the characters feel. From the embarrassed, but completely flattering feelings Brooke has when Elliot pursues her, to the butterflies and eager excitement when he realizes Brooke might like him -- the author completely draws you in. It felt like I was living the story with them and I loved that fact throughout the entire story; the passion between those two never failed to deliver.

However, what turned me off about this book was Millie. I know that she is a character in the story that added to the depth and mystery, and saved it from being just another romance novel, but that girl frustrated me to no end. I recognize that my feelings of frustration with her are due to Scott's excellent writing but I'm not sure it was my cup of tea. Throughout the entire book I wanted to yell at Millie to stop being selfish, pull her head out of her ass and see what’s really happening! I also appreciated AJ, who was Millie's only saving grace, but he also left me feeling confused. The chemistry between Millie and AJ was there, but neither of them ever acted upon it and that left me hanging. When I reached the end of the book I was stoked that the predictable happened, because I am one of those girls who loves a Hollywood ending, but I was left thinking, “Huh? What about Millie and AJ?”

After everything was said and done, this book left me unsettled. I couldn’t stop thinking about Millie and AJ, or all the drama that Millie caused, while still feeling happy for Brooke and Elliot. It felt like a hot shower and a relaxing cup of tea was the only way to calm myself from all the emotions running through me after reading this book. I have to give props to Amber Scott for having the ability to create these emotions in me, even when they aren't what I normally look for in a book.

3 Sheep

AC

The King's Speech

The King's Speech directed by Tom Hooper stars Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. Fantastic from beginning to end, I loved this film and everyone in it! :)

Storyline:

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI of England, and the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and resulting in an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead his country through World War II.

During a historic time for the world when a country needed a King that they could follow, Colin Firth became that character with beautiful ease. An amazing performance that should hopefully win him many more awards. Just brilliant.

Accompanied by the talented and beautiful Helena Carter, you can almost taste the pain and sorrow she feels in having to watch as her husband struggle with a life long stammer. Truly amazing, I have no idea why more movies of this caliber are not made.

Geoffrey rounds out the trio as the speech therapist who works to make the King become a worthy monarch. The quirky and humorous therapist has a long and tuff road ahead of him, but he continues down that path and never gives up.

Cinematography was outstanding, phenomenal directing, wonderfully written script delivered by talented actors. All around a must see. :) I will wipe the drool from my face now lol.

KD

Alien Tango, Kitty strikes again!

Alien Tango, the latest book from author Gini Koch, is one fun ride. If you have yet to read this book or the first novel in her series, Touched by an Alien, then I recommend you run out and grab this series today. :)

Alien Tango follows the story of Kitty and Martini (no, not the drink, even though you could drink this man up), the gung-ho butt kickers working to rid the world of supreme fuglies. Kitty is one sassy/spunky chick, she loves her music (Aerosmith is a fav) and loves her man. She just also happens to be really good at ridding the world of the evil that would love to come over and kill us all for fun.

Martini is the love of her life and also happens to be one hunky piece of alien beef (or tofu for you veggie lovers out there). He may not always understand Kitty's logic but he has learned to trust her judgement, no questions asked. For the most part. Men take a while to break in, as all us ladies know. :P

The action, adventure and sarcasm continue strong in Alien Tango. Did anyone see where I put that darn rocket launcher? *looks at Amber* Quite a few crazy plot twists leave the reader on the edge of their seat. Meddling family and some fun lovin' gators round out the excitement. And as always, Gini brings the hot and heavy romance! Woot woot for me!!

I thought elevators were hot after TBAA but now....*licks lips* now I want to find the closest storage room to have a little fun in. ;)

I am giving this book the highest rating we have and looking forward to the next addition coming out this April.

KD

The Resurrection, holy sheep what a good book!

The Resurrection is the debut novel from author Mike Duran. You may remember Mike from the interview we did last month. Not only is he a great guy, he also writes a pretty darn nifty book. :)

The Resurrection follows the life of Ruby Case, a devout woman of faith, wife and mother who loves her family and community; if help is needed, she is the first to lend a helping hand. Though life has not always been easy, Ruby has kept the faith and continued to follow her heart; with the help of her very sexy and charming husband Jack Case.

*sigh* ;) I shall continue wishing on a star for that man to enter my life. Just saying. hahaha

After an amazing gift (or curse as some see it) is given to Ruby, she ha

s some tough choices to make in her life. She turns to her church and the newly appointed Reverend, who struggles with demons of his own, trying to make some sense of the situation.

What happens when a town is cloaked in the darker forces of this world, or the next? Can one woman stand alone and fight the enormous evil? Will anyone stand with her or have we become so jaded that people all look the other way?

I was amazed with the amount of history and knowledge that fills the pages of this book. Throw in a big handful of suspense, add a few dashes of wicked twisted men and one crazy lizard, and you have a good book on your hands. So wonderfully written and well delivered I could not put it down! If Mike continues to write like this, he will have a fan for life! Go get this book and try not to eat the pages. lol

Getting 4 and half demon butt kicking sheep!

KD

Blog Tour de Force, Get Loaded. *Sponsor*

I Smell Sheep is proud to sponsor author and friend Amber Scott in the premier tour of Blog Tour de Force-Get Loaded! You can check out all the exciting details of the book tour at:

http://www.blogtourdeforce.com/Blog_Tour_de_Force/Home.html

This is a fun tour that supports indie book authors, so lets make sure to show our support on this one. :) baaaaaaaaa!!!

Also, please be sure to sign up for the tours newsletter and you can be entered to win a Kindle, eBooks and gift baskets from the authors. How can you NOT love this tour?!

Good luck Amber we can't wait to hear all about the book tour! :)

Amber, Katie and Richard

"Because Woodchucks can't be trusted"

Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch directed by Dominic Sena stars Nicholas Cage and Ron Perlman. While the movie itself was so much more then the trailers lead you to believe, the overall was pretty decent in my opinion.

Storyline:

A 14th century Crusader returns to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence. A priest, a grieving knight, a disgraced itinerant and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight join a mission troubled by mythically hostile wilderness and fierce contention over the fate of the girl. When the embattled party arrives at the abbey, a horrific discovery jeopardises the knight's pledge to ensure the girl fair treatment, and pits them against an inexplicably powerful and destructive force.

As a fan of Nick Cage he can do no wrong in my eyes, you either love him or hate him. I love him. :) The script for this movie was a bit ho-hum, with a bunch of scenes kind of being mashed together. As tragedy strikes throughout the film you really don't feel much loss for the characters. Not a lot of time spent on forming the bonds of friendship with these side characters.

That being said, I did enjoy the sword fighting scenes, some excellent action sequences did bring the movie to life in spurts. Some humor throughout between our two main characters adds some much needed authenticity. Throw in some reused CGI Twilight wolves and you have yourself a decent fantasy/action film with some major religious tones

.

I am giving this one a so-so rating and leaving it up to you. :)

KD

January Swagday

Mike Duran Contest Winner!

Happy New Year everyone!

We've got our first contest of 2011!

This time around, I was told by our virtual committee of 20 that they would only be available for a single vote. It would seem like Chuck the Woodchuck had convinced our voters that they were not being fairly compensated for their time... and are now refusing to do any more than a single vote per contest. Grrr! Dang Woodchucks!

To get around this, I had a series of orange ping pong balls with each contestant's name printed in a heat activated ink. I then asked one of the Marutachi (Midori) to mix the balls up and choose 4 of them using a claw machine.

When I stuck the balls under a heat lamp, we could see the names who'd be voted upon clearly...



The three names were put before the committee to vote and here is how that went:

Round 1

Shannon : 9
Nikiya : 6
Sharon S : 5
Nobody got a majority! The floor is open for debate!
Veronica champions Shannon calling upon Tenured voters to consider Shannon's mettle
Barbara champions Nikiya calling upon Female voters to consider Nikiya's greatness
Linda champions Sharon S calling upon MiddleAged voters to consider Sharon S's greatness


Round 2

Shannon : 11
Sharon S : 6
Nikiya : 3
The winner is: Shannon in 2 rounds!

Congratulations, Shannon!

Katie will be contacting you and you'll have one week to respond!

Fun pictures to share. :)

First up, we have this fabulous picture of some sheep hanging out in the snowy hillside of Lake County California. A family friend, Ron Keas, took this very cool photo of our beloved four legged buddies. :)

You can check out all the amazing pictures Ron has on his website http://www.3dviewmax.com/

thanks so much for sharing this with me Mom! xoxoxo

Next up, we have a picture from the Gini Koch contest we did last month. Author and friend Amber Scott is sporting a look in the Sheeped by an Alien T-Shirt Richard drew. And hello? Is that Australia in the background?!

WOW! We are making it across the globe. So cool! Looking good Amber *meow* thanks for sharing this with us. :)

2011 is looking great so far! :)

Much Sheep Love;

Amber, Katie and Richard

"because Woodchucks can't be trusted"