The Cuneiform Caper

Jewell, R. (2014). The Cuneiform Caper. Self-published.

Adult / Romance / Mystery / Novella

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars

  

Reese Walker, a professor at Stanford, has found not only the archeological discovery of a life time, but also a relationship that just might take her out of the dating circuit for good.  She hopes that her good fortunes in her career and personal life can take away the pain of the past, but just as everything seems to be coming together, it all falls apart. The artifact is stolen, and a long buried secret threatens to destroy her relationship and her grasp of her past. Reese must choose whether or not she has the strength or will to fight for her future and reclaim her out of control life. 

By the title of the book and the start to the story, readers will think that The Cuneiform Caper is going to be an archeological mystery.  Though the artifact does play a background part in the story, the book is really a romance, with the artifact playing an important role in how that romance ultimately develops.  Readers seeking a mystery will find only a minor one with a predictable solution. The romance is clean -- maybe a bit too much so -- as there are only hints at any real passion between the characters, and some of the behaviors didn't seem natural for the situations. The premise behind the romance is sweet and satisfying, though, and readers will enjoy its development.

Author Roselyn Jewell does a good job of fleshing out the two main characters, Reese and Caleb, so that readers will understand their personalities. Reese is a mess, and at times, it was hard to believe that she had managed to be so successful given how she deals with adversity; it was as if she didn't have the ability to focus on more than one thing at a time, instead neatly compartmentalizing and forgetting anything that wasn't right in front of her. Several of the secondary characters will elicit definite responses from the readers, as just enough is revealed and described for definite opinions to form -- and some of those characters are downright despicable.
 
There is a definite plot line, though it is sometimes mired down with too much, often unnecessary detail that distracts and detracts from the story, making it a bit tedious to read.  Additionally, there are several times when the story takes a turn that seems like it will reveal something new, but these turns ultimately go nowhere, leaving questions and not moving the story forward in any way.  The resolution of the story works fine and gives readers enough information to see how things will settle without spelling it out. 

 

The Cuneiform Caper is a light, quick, and interesting story, but it needs extensive professional editing to fix grammar, punctuation, and plot errors. As such, readers for whom this is a deal-breaker be warned.  Thank you to the author for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

Roselyn Jewell is the author of 7 books currently on the market. All are romance, some have mystery/thriller elements as well. Ratings go from PG-XXX. 

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The Toothless Tooth Fairy

Hicks, S. and Budeanu, A. (2014). The Toothless Tooth Fairy. Milwaukee: Mirror Publishing. 

Children's Picture Book / Fiction / Fantasy

I gave this book 5 of 5 stars.

When kind fairy Bella loses a tooth due to mean fairy Zelda playing a trick, Bella is devastated and thinks she's too ugly to be in the smile contest. Bella uses the fairy data base and goes on a quest to borrow a soon-to-be-lost tooth so that her smile will be beautiful -- but will she succeed? Will Zelda's meanness stand in the way?  

In The Toothless Tooth Fairy, author Shanelle Hicks and illustrator Anca Delia Budeanu have teamed up to make an adorable book that teaches important lessons and is a feast for the eyes.  The lessons are plentiful, including kindness is always the right answer, smiles are always beautiful, ugliness inside can produce ugliness outside, and pretty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors.  Budeanu's illustrations are expressive with soft, muted colors and show great diversity in the representations of the different fairies. Readers will easily identify with at least one of the fairies and will love the story, too.

I read this along with my eight-year-old niece, and she giggled a bunch (especially with the evil "Muah ha ah ha ha" laugh) and was surprised by Bella's treatment of Zelda. This fostered a discussion about the power of kindness. Interestingly enough, she found the parts that introduced ways to get a loose tooth out slightly creepy -- but informative!  There was a small bit of confusion with the title of the award at the end, but it didn't interfere with the enjoyment of the story.

I recommend this to children second grade and younger, to be read independently or as a read-along for the younger ones. Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

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