Two great reviews!

Wow, I am just floored. Night Owl Reviews rated The Magic of Lavender as a Top Pick! I can't even describe how happy it made me.


Here's part of the review:

"I have read a lot of novels. Very few of them have the same utterly charming, heartwarming quality of this novel. The Magic of Lavender is totally delightful from the very first word to the last.

This enchanting story brings in all the beauty of the Fey world, as well as the darkness of the Underworld, to combine in a glorious arrangement that is both exiting and captivating but still soothing all at once. As is obvious, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It is a perfect length, which allows everything that needs to happen enough time to happen. The characters are obviously very expertly designed, instantly sparking to life on the page."

I am so, so grateful for the review, especially because Night Owl Reviews took a chance on a self-pubbed book.

I'm also really grateful to Sizzlin' Hot Book Reviews, which rated Dancing With The Devil 4 hearts! Also a self-pubbed book, which makes me doubly grateful for the review.

Here's part of it:
Dancing With the Devil is a fun, spunky romance with a devilish side. Lily gives a different perspectiveson everything she sees in her life and when she learns who her family is she knows that family is important no matter how evil they can sometimes be. Everyone has a bit of good and evil in them, and most lean more towards one than the other.
If you are looking for an entertaining feel-good story with some steam added to the mix, Dancing With the Devil is a great romance to add to your to be read list.

The Magic of Lavender and Dancing With the Devil are books one and two in The Goddess Connection series. Those goddesses are kicking butt this week! Now I need to get to work on book three. :)

If you haven't yet downloaded your copy of Dancing With the Devil, today's the last day it will be available free on Amazon. Go grab it! :)

How much do I love this review?

I'm over the moon! Aubrey from Romancing the Book gave The Magic of Lavender a top rating! Woot! 

Here is part of Aubrey's lovely review:


I've always loved books that center around Goddesses and The Magic of Lavender fits the bill perfectly.
The cast of characters of this book keeps the book even more interesting. 

The underworld that was created by Masters is unique in that it is an entirely different way at seeing Goddesses. The Inn is on ley lines that help Joss use her magic. Using the ley lines she makes the Lord of the Underworld angry. You really need to read the book to find out what happens!
I cannot wait to read the second book in this series and other works by Cate Masters. This book really made me escape my boring life and enter into one that magic is possible.  

Wow - thanks so much, Aubrey. I'm especially grateful this reviewer took the time to read The Magic of Lavender. I know how swamped reviewers are with requests, and some are leery of self-pubbed books, so I appreciate that Aubrey was willing to take a chance, and thrilled that you rated it as a Rose That Rules All.

I'm glad she loved the cast of characters as much as I did. The Underworld has captured my imagination lately, and I'm excited about a few other upcoming stories, including Death Is A Bitch (out on submission), and Dancing With the Devil, the WIP that's Book Two in The Goddess Connection. It will be awhile before it's ready, but it's coming. :)

Another nice review for Ground Rules

Woot! Sizzling Hot Book Reviews rated Ground Rules a four-star read. Thanks so much!


Here's part of what the reviewer said:
Ground Rules is a cute story to make you in the mood for Christmas and miracles. Wish on a tree Angel seven times and receive a Angel in your kitchen.
Luke is the Harley, hunky not-like-you’ve-seen-before Angel. Had his heart broken and doesn’t want to listen to his heart. In Ground Rules he shows Alice that other’s have worse circumstances.
I really enjoyed Ground Rules. It reminded me of It’s a Wonderful Life with a love twist. If you want a good book to get you into the spirit of Christmas and miracles I recommend Ground Rules.


If your holidays need a little extra cheer, you can find more about Ground Rules here.

Nice review for Ground Rules

The Long and Short of It Reviews had some nice things to say about Ground Rules. My favorite is the wrap-up:

This fun fantasy tale will keep you reading and waiting to see just what happens next. I didn’t see this ending coming, and I consider that an accomplishment for the author.
Why not try this read for yourself. It’d be a great book to read while sitting in front of the fire and sipping a hot chocolate. Just don’t drink and read at the same time ... you might make a mess when you laugh out loud at the great humor the author shares.

I love that the reviewer recommends reading Ground Rules. If you'd like to, you can order it from The Wild Rose Press.

You can also check out the blurb, excerpt, book video, Casting Call and more here.

Bad reviews

So many authors have touched on this recently, I’m not sure why. But I’ve noticed readers will often take the time to leave a negative review, but if they like a book, won’t often post a good review. I tend more toward the opposite - I always take the time to leave a good review, but if the book was less than satisfying, I won’t say so. I know how hard authors work on their stories – developing story lines, creating in-depth characters, getting all those details right – sometimes it just doesn’t all mesh together the way it should.

But in general, most authors are best not to react to bad reviews. In fact, some bloggers who posted tough reviews and in turn received a hammering in bad comments have considered not posting bad reviews, according to Book Blogs. 

Likewise, your poor reaction to a less than favorable review may go viral, drawing more attention to it. Take it from Jacqueline Howett, whose rant landed in no less than Forbes magazine.

If that doesn't convince you, scan through this Amazon thread, where readers react to authors' manipulation of reviews. The vehemence is scary. Scarier is that these readers don't realize how often the reverse can be true. And I disagree that authors give away a free copy so the reviewer will give an automatic good review. It's difficult to find any reviewers these days because they're simply overwhelmed. Authors are simply looking for honest feedback.

Unfortunately, sometimes it only takes a “tag” to put your work in a negative light. A recent email from a publisher said that someone had tagged a book as “incest” though it had nothing to do with the subject matter. Amazon failed to respond to their pleas to remove the tag, so the publisher ultimately removed the author’s book from Amazon and republished it. Will that stop a vengeful person from leaving another nasty tag? It remains to be seen. In this day of instant everything, it can unfortunately be a useless endeavor to fight what amounts to online flaming.

Hopefully, readers are savvy enough to ignore it. For authors, it might be a little more difficult.

Rachel Caine took the time to note each one and thank the reviewer for being honest. I applaud her bravery for acknowledging the book wasn’t quite written to her normal standards.

Not everyone will love my books. I understand that. Sometimes I’ve received negative reviews that made no sense to me (one woman said she disliked reading short stories, then basically tore down one of my short stories because it was, in fact, a short story. Then why review it? *shrugs*)

But there are times, as Rachel Caine noted, that bad reviews with valid, specific points can provide valuable insights for authors. Savvy authors (such as Rachel Caine) sit up and take note of such, and make a point to address those areas in future works.

But others, such as Alain de Botton, let loose with frightening vehemence. Here’s part of his response to a negative review: I will hate you till the day I die and wish you nothing but ill will in every career move you make. I will be watching with interest and schadenfreude.

Wow. If I were the reviewer, I’d be changing my phone number, if not my address. That’s beyond unprofessional. It’s insane, and tantamount to professional suicide.

Even one of my favorite authors, Alice Hoffman, ranted on Twitter about a bad review (is 27 tweets too much? These days, it hardly seems like much!) and then deleted her account. But once it’s out there, it’s out there. Active or not. One of the scary aspects of social media.

So take Nathan Bransford’s sageadvice. 

And remember, you’re in good company. All authors, regardless of genre, receive a poor review now and then. Just ask Norman Mailer, who held a longtime grudge against New York Timesreviewer Michiko Kakutani.

The best advice I can give is to simply keep moving forward, and doing your best. It takes too much energy to waste on being upset about a bad review, energy better put toward a new project.

As a reader, how often do reviews influence your buying? For me, not often. I rely more on the blurb, and a writing sample. Beyond that, do you really care what someone else says about it?

4-star review for The Magic of Lavender

I happened across this wonderful review on Goodreads - the Pen and Muse rated The Magic of Lavender 4 stars!

Roane, the reviewer, said:

The Magic of Lavender is a lovely paranormal romance that taps into everyone’s love of magic and soul mates.
Jocelyn is surrounded by magic because she is related to the goddess Iris. But she turned away from the world of magic because her late husband disapproved. Now, she has a new lease on life: she has bought an inn and intends to turn it into a success story, surrounding it with fields of lavender.
Although the story moves really fast at first and it takes the reader a while to get into the fast flow, Jocelyn, her friends and family are likeable characters; so is the town’s resident veterinarian, Eric, with whom Jocelyn feels a tenable connection.
The tension between Jocelyn and Eric is the element in the story that creates the most anticipation, conjuring images of passion and love that every person longs for. Cate’s writing is sensuous and inspiring, and the flow of the plot becomes so smooth that you cannot wait to find out how the story ends, and whether Eric and Jocelyn are truly meant for each other.
This read is fast and fun, and inspires one with a feeling of the possibility of love.

Thanks so much Roane! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.