Random Reviews by Leanne

I was very angry before I sat down to write this blog but I am a whole lot calmer for the moment. I sat down with my browser open to Amazon and set out to look for some books that were on special ( since I am beyond poor) to review on my blog. I like to do and did it even when I did have money in my Amazon account because I knew that a lot of those that are featured for free or reduced price are by Indie authors and I support them, always.

So anyway I digress. I found the books I wanted to read and wrote down the ones that I would do each day this week and then I started reading. OMG! I read todays and I refuse, I mean absolutely refuse to write a review on this "book". Rarely do I ever post a grievance without the name of the book but today is one of those days. I was so angry when I finished , I wanted to throw something. I screamed a lot of explicatives and my poor husband thought I had fallen out of my wheel chair or harmed myself and came running. I was loud.

When I choose a book to read, I read the synopsis and then read the reviews that have come before me, and I read ALL the reviews. This book only had a hand full of them and they were all good, but the book had not been out long and sometimes these things take time. It sounded good so I took it. I knew by the file size that it was not going to be really long and that it was part of a series. I believed it would probably be a novella or a short story but nope it wasn't.

The author had several "chapters" that fooled me into thinking it was a real story. Real stories have plots, climaxes, problems, interactions etc... This had none of that. NONE! It was basically an introduction to a series. It was less than what someone would put into a chapter. It was more of an idea than an actual story. When I write ideas like this I run them by my friends, I don't publish them.

Now don't get me wrong what was written was nice. I got to know the characters and it hinted that there might be some conflict later on and then... IT JUST STOPPED. Well actually it said " to be continued". I was fuming.

If I had known that this was not an actual story but more of an introduction to the story I would have waited until she had a couple of "episodes" out before I decided to read it and feature it here. I know I am probably being petty but I can't really review someone's characters. I need something more than that. I need some meat or heck even a balanced vegan meal but to let me smell the food wrapper and then walk off is cruel and I can't do anything with that. It is not going to satiate my hunger or give me enough nutrients to survive.

Sorry, but this is one of my pet peeves. I have taken on novels, novellas and heck even shorts and chapters but there was a beginning, middle and end to those pieces not a beginning and (poof) more later. Really? Really, really?? It just made me grrrr.

So tell me what is your biggest irritation when getting a book to read or review? What is the one thing that you have seen authors do that just make you cringe and not want to read it? If you could give an author that has great potential a critical piece of advice that would keep them from crossing that line for you what would you tell them?

Again I apologize this was not a review today, I promise there will be one up tomorrow!

Hugs and remember to smile at someone today, it could be the only smile they get!