Barbra Annino

Excellent story! I tend to stay away from self-published books since I'm rarely wowed by the quality of either the writing or the editing (not to mention the atrocious behaviour or a few SPA's that ruin it for the rest), but this book (and series) is the exception that proves the rule.

I loved the characters and found it very easy to get caught up in the setting, the plot and the dialogue. There were quite a few moments throughout the book that had me laughing out loud. The mystery itself show more was so well done I didn't have any idea at all, until the end, who the culprit was. I thought the representation of the magic was very well integrated and nothing felt too over-the-top.

I'm looking forward to reading more about Stacy and her family. show less

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Book Report: A Kindle original short story, in the Grundleshanks the Toad series. (Well, okay, the author doesn't call it that, but I do.) It's a crossover with another mystery series, the Stacy Justice mysteries, hence the collaborator listed, Barbra Annino. The story follows the action in [Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead], but I don't know where it falls in the Stacy Justice series as I've never read one of those.

Gus, Mara, and Aunt Tillie get a letter from show more Aunt Tillie's old buddies the Geraghty Girls, owners of a bed and breakfast-plus-coven house in Amethyst. The letter summons Tillie to a Grand Coven on Samhain, because portents of disaster are all pointing to Amethyst, and Stacy. Oh dear...what to do...Tillie's dead, and the Geraghty sisters don't know it. Tillie, unsurprisingly to anyone who read the first book, has some ideas on the subject, which boil down to Mara and Gus getting on the stick and pointing the Escape Hybrid to Amethyst.

So they do, putting Mara's infant daughter in the care of her terrified Papa for a long weekend's trip to save the world from the Soul Eater. Which, needless to say, they do, with the help of reluctant and unwilling (at first) Stacy, the great-niece of the Geraghty Girls. A trip into Tartarus, the demon dimension, and to the Halloween (Samhain) parade, and the basement coven gathering at the B&B all converge on the defeat of the evil power of the Soul Eater, and mark Stacy's acceptance of her full powers as a witch descended from witches. We're teased a little with hints at a deeper connection between Mara and Stacy, though I suspect the connection will play a role in the next installment of one or the other series.....

My Review: The problem here's that this really good little mystery story is a little mystery story! I wanted more! Not a story, a whole novel!

Oh well, that aside, this is a perfect mood-improvement tale, and a breezy attitude adjuster. I find the ghost of Lord Grundleshanks the poison toad a perfect counterpoint to the ghostly Mr. Henderson, aka the Soul Stealer. Both are barely seen, each is a comedic gift.

I don't think it's necessary to have read the novel before reading the story, and I think anyone in need of a grin, a giggle, and a light moment in their reading day could benefit from a little visit with Mara and Stacy and Gus. show less

I read the first in the series ‘Opal Fire’ earlier this year, liked it so much that I immediately downloaded BLOODSTONE (and have now pre-ordered book 3 - Tiger’s Eye). The series is such fun – and it has a Great Dane “…Great Danes are sensitive dogs, highly attuned to human emotions. If you scold them, they’ll hide under the bed for about a week. Granted, you can still see them because the bed will be two feet off the ground, but you get the picture…” Stacy does her best show more to stay out of trouble, she just wants to be normal and lead a quiet life, and she is fighting her ‘witchy’ heritage. Gradually, as she solves the mystery behind the plot of this book, lurching from one hilarious disaster to another, she comes to realise that maybe she had better come to grips with her powers as other people depend on her – and one thing Stacy wants to do above all other things is be helpful. Unfortunately being helpful means going off half-cocked with no back up and ending up in various predicaments; but you never know when being pooped on by a bat will come in useful!!! Ivy was a wonderful little character and I loved the little excerpts from her notebook bringing her very funny interpretation of events. Like its predecessor, BLOODSTONE is a roller coaster ride of adventure, mystery, secrets and a touch of romance. I am impatiently waiting for the release of ‘Tiger’s Eye’ in December 2012. show less

I giggled. Now, I am not a giggle girl, but I. Giggled. FUNNY!

Gnome Wars (Adventures of the Fae Realm) by Barbra Annino was a giggle a minute, and I loved it. Very short, only 19 pages, the story of Leroy the Gnome (OK, OK, he is a Brownie, but Dang, he sure Looks like a Garden Gnome) and his poor apartment-mate, Doug, is hysterical.

Shorts are a great way to meet new authors and meeting Barbra this way was a perfect introduction to her work. It is funny, free, and well worth the short show more amount of time it took to read it. And I will absolutely be looking into her works more closely.

I think I will try My Guardian Idiot next – how fun does THAT sound? show less