THE WINNERS! #TuesdayBookBlog #RBRT Bookreview team presents: The Gold & Silver 2016 Book Awards

The Winners!#RBRT Rosie’s Book Review Team presents: The Gold & Silver Rose Awards 2016

 

*Cough* … On behalf of my team, I’m delighted to announce the winners and runners-up in the #RBRT 2016 book awards!

Books were selected from the several hundred submitted to our team for review over the past year, with the 24 finalists voted for by the reviewing team. These finalists were then offered up to the public for voting. Congratulations to the 8 winners and runners up!

A click of the book’s title will take you to Goodreads, where you can see reviews, and also leads to the Amazon, etc, buy links.

 

Fantasy / SciFi/ Horror

Winner: The Prince’s Man by Deborah Jay

Runner-up: Passing Notes by D G Driver

Historical Fiction

Winner: The Elizabeth Papers by Jenetta James

Runner-Up: Back Home by Tom Williams

Mystery Thriller

Winner: On Lucky Shores by Kerry J Donovan

Runner-Up: Rack & Ruin  by Carol Hedges

Contemporary

Winner: The Disobedient Wife by Annika M Stanley

Runner-Up: Scotch On The Rocks by Lizzie Lamb

 

Congratulations to all the following finalists:

The Black Orchid by Celine Jean-Jean

Blood Of The Sixth by K R Rowe

Flesh by Dylan J Morgan

The Final Virus by Carol Hedges

La Petite Boulain by G Lawrence

When Doves Fly by Lauren Gregory

Jasper by Tony Riches

The Code For Killing by William Savage

Trust Me I Lie by Louise Marley

Wings Of Mayhem by Sue Coletta

Murder at the Lighthouse by Frances Evesham

Trust Me by Earl Javorsky

What Jennifer Knows by Wendy Janes

The Bad Girl by L Donsky-Levine

Silent Water by Jan Ruth

The Brazilian Husband by Rebecca Powell

Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT THE BAD GIRL by @ldonskylevine

Today’s team review is from Jessie, she reviews at http://behindthewillows.com

Jessie has been reading The Bad Girl by L Donsky-Levine

This was hard to read.

I wanted more.

It was a conundrum.

You see, as hard as it was to read about a girl attempting to pull herself out of some of life’s most horrible situations, I still wanted to know more about her. This book, a novella really, is complete and full, it doesn’t technically need more. But that’s not stopping me from wanting it to have more.

The jumps in time throughout the story left me, not disoriented, but sad. I wanted to know how she’d been getting along when we weren’t a party to it. I wanted more chapters by the cat, (One of the best cat point of views ever!).  I just wanted… more.

Would I recommend it? Ehh… Umm… Er… It was good, in a dark, gritty, shocking sort of way. But along with the grit is a measure of hope, love, a portrait of New York City in the 70’s and an awful lot things to mull over when you’ve put the book down.  I’m glad I read it but I wouldn’t hand it to you until after we had chatted about it for a bit.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I discovered this book because I’m a proud member of Rosie’s Book Review Team!

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT THE BAD GIRL by L Donsky-Levine @ldonskylevine #WeekendBlogHop

Today’s team book review comes from Terry, she blogs at http://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry has been reading The Bad Girl by L Donsky-Levine

THE BAD GIRL by L Donsky-Levine

4.5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber’s Review Team

I liked this book a lot. It’s witty, sharp, unusual, touching and so well written. Set in downtown New York in the 1970s, this is a fairly long novella about Riley, a lonely girl working in the sex trade with no company except her beloved cats, and Fitz, a one-armed Vietnam vet.

I read in the author’s bio that she’s a native New Yorker, and her knowledge of and love for the city is so apparent in this story. It’s what I think of as warts-and-all New York, the impression I had of it when I was growing up—more 1970s cop show than Carrie Bradshaw and Mr Big!

The story is mostly told from Riley’s point of view, but there are some lovely bits through the eyes of cat Samson, the last one of which made me cry. It’s not like anything else I’ve read for some time, and unlike some novellas that seem as though they’re a novel squashed into something too short, this is exactly the right length. There’s an element of dark comedy to it, too. I loved Riley, Fitz, Samson and old Bennie Sadowitz who befriends Riley in her hour of need. You will, too 🙂

It’s great – Ms L-D is a terrific writer and I’d like to read more by her. Definitely recommended.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT THE BAD GIRL by @ldonskylevine

Today’s second team review is from Cathy, she blogs at http://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com

Cathy has been reading The Bad Girl by L. Donsky-Levine

Although this is a novella it packs a huge emotional punch. It’s a dark look at one very damaged girl’s fight to survive in 1970s New York. Riley Madison works in The Deuce, an area of Manhattan well known to the police and those who liked to indulge their individual pleasures. At just twenty-two, Riley does what she has to in order to survive. Her life has been a series of horrendous situations and, emotionally scarred, she can’t envisage herself ever having a better life. Despite it all, she endures.

The story is told mainly from Riley’s perspective but opens with Samson, Riley’s cat, her best and only friend, apart from the other stray cats she has collected, which serves to highlight her isolation and loneliness, unhealthy lifestyle and total lack of self-worth.

A turning point presents itself after Riley’s heartbreakingly sad existence takes a decidedly downward spiral. She visits the animal shelter with Samson and meets Bennie Sadowski again. But things get a lot worse for Riley before they begin to get better.

An extremely well crafted story, very poignant, powerful and moving, which had me choked up by the end. The plot and characters are wonderfully written with depth and realism. I can see how events could easily unfold in the way they are portrayed. The very striking comparison between the absolute best and complete worst of humanity is showcased by Bennie and Fitz, who is a Vietnam survivor. Two men who, despite their own problems, do their best to help Riley. Even though the story is brutal in parts there are lighter moments and flashes of humour. I enjoyed the character driven narrative, the excellent writing and the different slant the author takes on the subject of abuse. Look forward to more from L. Donsky-Levine.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com