Tag Archives: book reviews #bookreviews

April 18, 2022 · 3:08 am

Voting starts today in Week 2 of the Rone Awards. BALANCE is a nominee in the CONTEMPORARY STEAMY Category!

I love this time of year – Rone Awards season. LOL

InD’Tale Magazine’s RONE awards are an industry shoutout to books that have been reviewed by the mag and have garnered 4.5 – 5 stars. The third book in my New York Socialites series, BALANCE, is one of those books and is a nominee in the STEAMY CONTEMPORARY CATEGORY.

So, you probably know what I’m going to ask next: YES!!!! Please cast your vote to make BALANCE a finalist!!!

The rules are simple:

  1. you have to log into InD’Tale magazine and make an account ( Don’t worry – there’s nothing to buy and they won’t bother you with ads!). Here are the instructions to do so: LOG IN
  2. Once you are logged in, scroll to this categories page, here: Week 2
  3. Find the CONTEMPORARY STEAMY CATEGORY and scroll to BALANCE.
  4. Cast your vote, hit submit and that’s it!

You can only vote once in each category so you’re done for now and I just sweat it out to hear if I’m a finalist! HEE HEE

If you’d like to see the REVIEW that got me the nomination, you can read it here: BALANCE REVIEW

Seriously, though, thank you for participating in my crazy life. The Rone Awards are a writing industry-standard ( kinda like the Oscars) and I’d be thrilled to ever win one.

Bless you all, and Thanks a million.

~ Peg

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March 24, 2022 · 3:48 am

A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: AIDEN is a Long and Short Reviews BEST BOOK!

Every now and then something happens in my life that validates I’m doing the whole writing-thing correctly. Yesterday was one of those days.

I received – quite unexpectedly – a BEST BOOK nod from a reviewer at Long and Short Reviews EZine.

When I first saw the post and quickly glanced at it I noticed just 1 star in the header and my heart fell. I figured I’d really gotten it wrong with this book if a professional reviewer gave it such a low rating. A one star rating is the equivalent of saying don’t give up your day job.

But…

When I looked closely and saw the words BEST BOOK embossed in the star I started screaming with joy. So much so, Maple came running to see if I was being attacked and rescue me!

This is by far one of the most emotional reviews for me EVAH! You can read it here in its entirety if you want, but suffice it to say the reviewer liked the book. She really liked it – like a Sally Field at the Oscars liked it!!!! L&SR

If you’d like to purchase a copy of your own to read, here’s the universal link. The book is available in ecopy and print across multiple commercial sites: A Pride of Brothers: AIDEN

For me, I’m going to bac to writing now, armed with the knowledge I’m doing something -some small thing – correctly!

~Peg

Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister’s death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn’t believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn’t know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.

Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.

When their investigation puts Lexi’s life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.

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October 6, 2021 · 12:07 am

Double the happiness!

Sometimes, all the planets align and joy and happiness rain forth!!

Yesterday was one of those days.

On the heels of my new contract with Magnolia Blossom Publishing, came another fabulous piece of news. Well, 2 fabulous pieces of news, actually.

The current edition of InD’tale Magazine released yesterday and 2 of my current books were reviewed within it.

On page 77, under Contemporary Romances, BALANCE was reviewed and garnered 4.5 stars and 5 teapots for steaminess!!!!

And…. a CROWNED HEART!!

And on page 90, A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: AIDEN earned 5 stars and 5 steamy teapots in the Suspense/Thriller category! And another CROWNED HEART!!!

Honestly, this year can end right now and I’d be happy!
Oh…wait! The year can’t end until Sunday, October 10th because on the 9th, the RONE AWARDS are being broadcast!!! And I’ve got 2 books up for awards: BAKED WITH LOVE ( A Match Made in Heaven, book 3) and A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK. Yup, Aiden’s bro!

The blessings keep coming, kids!!!

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I know it makes me a shameful person to want to win, but…. I WANT TO WIN!!

I’ll let you know if I do…

Until next time ~ Peg

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June 28, 2021 · 12:41 am

Uncaged Semifinalist!

What a great way to start off a week! Just found out my book WOKE is a semifinalist in the UNCAGED REVIEWS Raven awards for 2020-2021. I became a finalist because my book was rated 5 stars by the Uncaged Reviewers.

To move on to the finalist category, the public votes on their favorite covers for each month, so this blog is actually a a BEG BLOG today ( LOL). I need your vote.

Here is the link to vote and the instructions:

My book WOKE is featured in the NOVEMBER CATEGORY, third from the bottom of the list. You need to click on the circle next to it then scroll down and click VOTE. Once you do, you’re done. Voting goes until July 2 so get your vote in early. Then scroll up and down the finalist list to see if any other of your favorites books/authors made the cut and vote for them.

Here’s the link: UNCAGED REVIEWS

And here’s the review of WOKE that was posted on the site: REVIEW

Thanks so much for the love and support, peeps! I’ll let you know if I become a semi-finalist.

Enjoy your day and until next time ~ Peg

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November 20, 2020 · 12:13 am

A #BestBook Review from @LASR for BAKED WITH LOVE

I’m not gonna lie…when I woke up the other day and found the email from Long and Short Reviews about BAKED WITH LOVE   concerning the review on their site, I was worried. This was the first professional review for the book, and considering it’s still in the preorder stage, I was concerned a bad review would effectively kill sales.

Hey. I’m a writer. We live and die for reviews and sales.

When I first clicked on the the link my heart sank because the very first thing I saw next to the book copy was 1 star.

1 star.

Think about what that means to an author to see 1 little star next to a book review and then multiply that feeling by a quadrillion and then square it and you know how I felt.

But then the review page opened and I saw that the 1 star had the words BEST BOOK written inside of it.

Okay, say what?
My eyes slid down to the start of the review and by the time I got to the end I couldn’t see my computer screen clearly any more because tears of joy clouded my vision. To mis-quote Sally Field, “She liked it! She really liked it!”

In fact, I venture to say, she loved it. Loved the entire Match Made in Heaven series, in fact.

Here’s the review:

I’m just going to be blunt and get right to the point. This is the best series I’ve read in a long time. It’s right up there with the Drake Sisters series by Christine Feehan and the Mackenzie Family series by Linda Howard.

When reviewing, there are many components in a narrative that I’m looking for. How developed and relatable were the cast of characters? Did the plot maintain my interest and flow at a reasonable pace with unexpected twists while keeping its realistic integrity? How was the chemistry between the hero and heroine? Did they receive their happily ever after? Were there any loose threads? Particularly from my point of view I want to laugh and feel a book glow for hours after finishing the book. It’s a bonus if I can add another hero to my list of book boyfriends. When I’m reading a series I want to feel that “coming home” sensation. The heartwarming feeling of being reunited with cherished friends and family.

It’s not often I can claim that a book meets all my criteria for what I consider a best book or best series. It is my honor to claim Baked with Love by Peggy Jaeger hit all my feel good spots. The Match in Heaven series has left a lasting impression on me. Yes, each book can be read as a standalone but I would not recommend it. The three together put any Hallmark show to shame. I’d like to see the series put into a movie.

I wish the characters were real and that I could meet them. I want to go stay at their inn. I’m a huge fan of Peggy Jaeger after reading several of her books.

The romance in this story is between Maureen and Lucas. I was waiting to read their story and I’m thrilled it was worth the wait. I can’t rave enough about how much I loved this book and the series. It’s a perfect Christmas present for your friends who love to read romance. This book will join my others on my book keeper list.

See why I was crying now??? That line about putting any Hallmark show to shame just about did me in!! In a good way.

She’s reviewed all the books in the series and has given me great reviews on each one. But a BEST BOOK review? Well, that was one that made me realize that maybe, just maybe, I was starting to get the hang of this writing career!

Here are the other reviews from L&SR for A Match Made in Heaven:

Dearly Beloved

Today, Tomorrow, Always 

And you can preorder BAKED WITH LOVE, which releases 12.9.2020, here: BWL

Also, because writers live and die for reviews AND sales, if you want a PRINT copy of the book now, instead of waiting for December, I’ve got copies at a very reduced price available at my website store, here: PJBS Just follow the instructions on the page.

Until next time, peeps ~ A-still-floating-on-air Peg

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July 3, 2020 · 4:27 am

Words hurt and reviews can be crushing…

I really have had some weird – but exact – blog titles lately, haven’t I? Hee Hee

I’ve talked about book reviews here many times – the good, the bad, the mean. Today I’m going to add confusing to that short list.

WOKE released the other day to good (mostly – 95%)  to excellent reviews. I’ve come to realize that the people whom I know personally are always kind even if they don’t like one book more than another, they always say kind words in their reviews. But I know a book is good if reviewers I don’t know from Adam ( or Eve) say something wonderful.

For an example, this review was put up on Bookbub and Amazon by a reader I don’t know:

Drugged at her 21st birthday party, Aurora nearly died, then spent 10 years in a coma. She moves forward after waking, thanks to her devoted mother and their housekeeper, to the point of training to run the NYC marathon, and meeting and dating someone she met at a fundraiser. AJ, as she’s now known, wants to know what happened, and goes in search of someone who can help her. I’ve read two other books from this author, both very nice romances. But holy crapoly – I had no idea that Ms. Jaeger could write such a captivating and suspenseful romance. This story roped me in at the beginning, and never let up. The romance is wonderful. Cade and AJ are just perfect together, until he omits something that she might think to be important. Her mother is a bit overprotective at times, but considering all that AJ went through, fairly understandable, and Mom is supportive. Maeve, their housekeeper, has worked for the family since she came to the US, and she’s so much more than just “the help” – she gave up her chance at forever to take care of AJ when she was comatose. Nick, the detective who worked her case, is a really great guy, and I love AJ’s matchmaking attempt. Best quote in the book: “Forgiveness is a gift, according to Maeve, that should be doled out often, and without incurring interest.” She gave it 5 stars

Great review, right? I think so and it made me feel I’d done my job as a writer well.

Then there are the confusing ones. The reviews that makes no sense to me, like this one, for example:

The plot had its engaging moments, the characters were interesting and their secrets were gradually relieved throughout the story.
It had mystery and twists, single pov, nicely paced.
Regarding the solution of how and why was Aurora poisoned, it was neither brilliant nor mind blowing. It was far fetched and spoiled whatever my mood was.
Is there a part two??? Where was the epilogue???? Where was the hea???? There was a hea, but for a secondary character!!! I was left dumbfounded, looking for an epilogue that never appeared and I could not believe how abrupt the story ended!!! 😲She gave it 2.5 stars.

I didn’t promote this book as a romance because, to me, it really wasn’t one. It was more a woman coming to grips with the hand of cards she was dealt in life and trying to learn how to grow from it. The book ended when it was appropriate to end. It didn’t need an epilogue and why does this reader think it does??? See? Confusing.

There certainly are days when I wonder why I ever wanted to be a professional, published writer, that’s for sure…

Oh well. Today I start writing Book 2 in my Pride of Brothers series. Different genre, different voices. I’d better just concentrate on that and forget about the confusing world of reviews for the moment.

Happy 4th, American peeps. Until next time ~ Peg

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March 21, 2020 · 5:19 am

A #5starreview & an ego boost!

I just adore InD’tale magazine! They not only gave me a 5 star review for  A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK, they also made the lovely graphic above for me AND put the book in  you tube video:

This entire week just got waaaaaaaaay better, peeps!

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February 20, 2020 · 12:54 am

On Book reviews – good ones, bad ones, and ones that make you go “WHAT??!”

I’m not gonna lie….I read my book reviews.

Many authors will tell you they never do because they don’t want to hear anything negative about the book, or that it makes them uncomfortable, or anxious or ( insert your own descriptor).

Not me.

I read every single, friggin, review I find, especially those from people I don’t know. You kind of expect the people you know to say something nice about your book. But it’s the ones I’ve never met, who don’t know me from Eve, who when they take time to write something about one of my books, I sit up and take notice. I’m not arrogant enough to think my words will inspire, entertain, and bring happiness into every single reader’s lives. It’s my hope, but not my reality, peeps, heehee.

What I always find intriguing though, is when one book has polarizing reviews – both ends of the spectrum from 5 stars to 1.

Let me e’splain….

This was a recent review from a very famous author I know through a publisher connection. We have never met, but I thoroughly enjoy reading her books and she is a one-click author for me. For TODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS this is her review, up on Amazon:

Katie O’Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for second chances!

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2020

Format: Paperback

Peggy Jaeger has done it once more, proving why I keep returning to her stories again and again. The vivid portrait of small town life, the depth of the characters and the breadth of emotions… I love escaping to the worlds this author creates on the pages.

Ms. Jaeger writes in a first person point of view that drags the reader along on a sometimes chaotic ride with Cathy O’Dowd, a small-town lawyer and the eldest O’Dowd sister in the small town of Heaven, New Hampshire. She took over her father’s practice and responsibilities when her parents retired, one of which was sitting on the board of the local Historical Society. When a well-known author comes to town to research his new book, the pair are thrown together and sparks begin to fly.

Okay, none of that sounds terribly exciting, does it?

Small town lawyer. Author doing research. Historical Society.

It all reeks of dusty pages and yawns hidden behind polite hands. And yet…

This story crackles with emotion and tension, as the main characters are instantly drawn to each other but trying desperately to ignore the electric connection. The stubbornly broken characters kept me glued to my Kindle rooting for them to give into their feelings, to get over their sad pasts and find a happily ever after with each other. The scenes with Cathy’s grandmother, Nanny Fee, add comical humor and lightness to the overall story. Ms. Jaeger does a wonderful job of creating real characters we can relate to and root for, with the strong background themes of family and forgiveness running throughout.

I finished this book in a day, and loved escaping into the world Ms. Jaeger created. The first book in this series, Dearly Beloved introduced the town of Heaven and the sisters… And I know there’s one more O’Dowd sister whose story has yet to be published (I can’t wait!)

Amazing, right? And such an ego stroke I can’t tell you!
Now, here’s the same book and a review from Netgalley from someone I don’t know from Adam:
Maggie – 1 star
I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have read so far in Today, Tomorrow, Always. I love the small town atmosphere, the family surrounding Cathy, and the love and patience she has for her family, her sweet dog and her community. The buildup of Mac’s background and loss of his family add to an intriguing mystery. Why did you throw in a gay marriage? My decision is to not finish this book and not request any more of Peggy Jaegar’s books. I read Christmas and Cannolis last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thus, I requested this book. Please leave LBGTQ topics no matter how small under LBGTQ headings. It may be only a minor one-page item, but I am not interested in finding out. I will not be leaving a review on Twitter or Amazon as I do not believe in writing negative reviews.
The last sentence made me laugh. THAT’S exactly what she’s done, isn’t it??
Like it’s been said many times in the past : You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
Now, if this reviewer had said the story was boring, or the writing was sophomoric, or even that the characters were unrealistic, I would have taken her words to heart and chalked up the bad review to someone who just didn’t like the book. This is still America, people, and we are allowed to have opinions that differ.
But…. this isn’t really a review of the book, is it?
Think about it.
Reread her words.
This is about 1 scene, 250 words, 1 page of a book that she even claims she was enjoying up until these 250 words came into play. For whatever reason this was a trigger for her and she decided to condemn me for the rest of my book writing life.
This is just one of those aspects of being an author that makes me go… WHAT??!
If you’re looking for me I’m usually here ( or out reading my reviews!)Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// Book Me // Watch me
…And liked Katie mentioned above, Book 3 BAKED IN LOVE is with my editor, but you can read the opening scene here: PJBlog
Until next time, kids ~Peg

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November 25, 2019 · 12:39 am

A question for book bloggers, book reviewers, and authors

So yesterday there was a tweet thread from a wonderful book blogger/reviewer who received an email from an author stating this:  I screen shotted it so you could see the actual tweet thread)

This struck me wrong on so many levels that my head actually hurt. Talk about elitist. Now, I recognize the author ( to play Devil’s advocate here) is probably an indie author who has to pay for her books and wants to make money. If she gives out arcs that don’t have the ROI in terms of a “good” review or no review at all, she probably feels she is losing money.

You know what? Too bad, Madame Author.

If you don’t want to take the chance that you will get anything less than 5 stars, then you’d better write a 10 star novel. My guess? Not gonna happen.

Did you ever think the people who aren’t leaving reviews are trying to spare your feelings? That maybe your books are so horrible they feel bad for you and don’t want to leave bad reviews for fear of hurting your feelings? Or that maybe they couldn’t finish your lousy book and that’s why they didn’t leave a review??’

I get lousy reviews when I put up arcs, too. All authors do, even the ones who have publishing contracts with major houses and rake in oodles of cash every year. Every single person on the planet has an opinion and not everyone who reads your book is going to adore it. To state categorically that if you, as a book reviewer, don’t leave a high review you will be removed from further arcs is tantamount to bullying in my book, and you know what? I would never read an author’s work who stated something like that.

I use Booksprout.co and Netgalley for my arc reviews. On Netgalley, some of the reviewers can be downright mean spirited, but that’s the nature of the game. Recently, I realized that several people who requested arcs on Booksprout never left reviews and I wondered why, so for my new set of arcs I put up a statement that said, if you don’t leave a review I won’t authorize further books for you. I immediately took that statement down because I realized what I’ve said above. Maybe the people who didn’t leave reviews didn’t like the book and instead of giving a low review, they simply didn’t write one. Or maybe they haven’t gotten to the book yet since everyone reads at a different speed. Whatever the reason, I knew right away that was the wrong thing to say, so I took the statement down.

Too bad the author of the above statement didn’t think as quick as I did.

So I have a question for anyone reading this who reviews books or blogs about them: would you continue to read an author who said something as blatant as the above mentioned author did? What are your feelings about her/his statement? For authors, do you think the author had a valid point to stating what she did, and if so, why?

Inquiring minds ( okay mine! ) want to know.

Until next time ~ Peg

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September 4, 2019 · 12:06 am

A matter of opinion…

This wasn’t the blog post slotted for today when I planned my week. Things have a habit of changing, though, so….

On Monday, two things happened at the same time and were in such direct opposition to one another, for a few moments I felt as if I’d been shot through a time warp and landed in a parallel universe.

Let me ‘esplain

My Limitless Publishing book, DIRTY DAMSELS, has been out in the book reading world since July 2 of this year. I have been roping in reviews from wherever I can because, as we all know, the more reviews you have – and good ones! – the algorithm powers that be at Amazon sit up, take notice, and help you promote your book to the masses. Before the book launched, I did a BookSprouts review campaign and did really well with all 4 -5 star reviews. People I don’t even know bought the book ( Bless their souls!) and also rated it, mostly as 5 stars, which is fabulous. Since it’s been two months since it was released, I wanted to ramp up some more publicity for it, so I had it listed on Netgalley. You’ve all heard me talk about this book reading and rating service before, because I’m  a Netgalley official reviewer. So, monday morning at midnight, east coast time, the book went up for read and review. Monday was Labor day in the US, so the masses had a holiday. When I logged on at 5 am that morning I saw the book was listed, noticed the number of cover “likes” and then saw that it already had one review. 5 hours after it was put up.

Let me repeat that: 5 hours after is was made available.

When the butterflies in my stomach quieted, I scrolled down to read the review.

That damn battalion of flapping insects went on hyper-flap again.

The review was…scathing, is the best word. The reader admits she didn’t even finish the book ( well, who could in 5 hours? Was she Evelyn Wood’s granddaughter, fer Chri’sake??) and then droned on about how she “knew she was going to be disappointed, but requested the book anyway.” Oh, and she gave me 1.5 stars. Then she proceeded to upload the review on to Goodreads. Under the review several of her “friends” commented that they were glad she put up her review because it kept them from requesting the book for their own.

Friggin’ lemmings.

I will truthfully say I have never not read a book because someone gave it a bad review. If her “friends” had thought to scroll down on Goodreads and see all the 4 and 5 star reviews listed, would they have changed their minds? I can hope so, but I doubt it. Once a lemming…..

Needless to say, I was pissed. I emailed Goodreads and Netgalley and asked how they could publish a review from someone who blatantly stated that they did not finish the book. Isn’t that…cheating? Wrong? Fraud?

No response from either entity yet.

Now, the part of my Monday where I felt like I’d been shot through a time warp came an hour later when I received a 5 star review from Reader’s Favorite.

This reviewer actually READ the book. How could I tell? Because she gave details that a reader wouldn’t have gleaned if they’d skimmed through the pages. That review went a long long long way toward making my Monday better, I have to tell you.

I consistently wonder if people ( and that’s being kind, my calling them that and not trolls) who do reviews who aren’t authors ever think about how their words effect the writer. Do they understand they are bashing what this person does for a living? Critiquing their livelihood? Netgalley is a free service to readers, so they don’t even have to pay for the books they request. I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion, I’m not questioning that. What I object to is blatantly stating you did not finish something and then being able to rate it, in turn, lowering the chance of other people wanting to read it.

I will tell you when I request a Netgalley listed book and then find it is not for me and don’t finish it, I always click the DNF button attached to the book review page. That gets me out of having to write a review. I don’t give any books I read less than a 3, and if I have to give a three, I always always always make some positive remarks about the book, ending with, it simply wasn’t for me. I don’t bash the book or the author.

Obviously, I was raised right.

Those lemmings? Yeah. Not so much.

Thanks for listening to me gripe!

Until next time ~ Peg

 

 

 

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