From Amazon’s Online Book Club
I’d received lots of reviews from family and friends of my debut novel, Karrana. But I never quite believed the veracity of these reviews, being from close contacts. So I submitted the book before the eyes of a reviewer on The Online Book Club.
Most professional reviewers charge $300 or more to write a review for you. It takes time to read and appraise a novel. This book club charges slightly less, and the site is advertised on LinkedIn, which is where I found it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of the review, and how it confirmed my other reviewers’ offerings. For this reason, I am posting a copy of the review on this platform where I found the link. This proves what I have been told, that marketing for visibility is the important missing link in a work’s acceptance. This is what I, as an Indie author, lacked, the ability to market my own book.
I did not engage a proof reader for the final copy, as I was able to re-edit the book while it was on my Amazon KDP bookshelf. For this reason, the reviewer found 10 typos, mainly punctuation: Another lesson learned! Always pay to get it proof read.
The Review
This is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Karrana” by Anne Skyvington.
3 out of 4 stars.
The Second World War had just ended, and celebration was in the air. It was in the spirit of victory that eighteen-year-old Bridie, chaperoned by her brothers, went to a ball where she met Will, a gentle giant of a man who she instantly fell in love with. Bridie O’Toole was just as sweet and beautiful as her name was unique, so catching Will’s attention, regardless of her hovering brothers, had not been a problem for her. “Million Dollar Baby” was what the “blokes” called her.
The O’Toole’s were poor dairy farmers, but they were happy. Will Featherstone, on the other hand, was a rich kid from the other side of the Karrana river. Will was everything Bridie desired; he was the knight in shining armor who would rescue her from her crude existence on the farm. And for Will, Bridie was the fiery princess of his dreams. Of course, both families tried to warn their children off each other, but the heart wants what it wants—the forbidden fruit. It wasn’t long before the fruit of romance started to grow inside Bridie. What follows this whirlwind spring romance?
This book certainly did not go as I imagined it would. Yes, there was the mushy, sweet romance, and there was the part where the rich family tried to separate the lovers, but that was where the predictability ended. What happened afterward was drama and life! This story was set in the fictional town of Karrana, Australia, and it followed Bridie and Will’s lives from an omniscient point of view. This interesting book spanned a little over three hundred pages, and it was absolutely worth the time. Karrana is an emotional story that centers on love, family, and responsibility.
My favorite thing about this book was its plot; I was constantly impressed (annoyed at one point) by the turn of events. The story was passionate and romantic without the untrue cliché of “happily ever after.” I’m afraid I’ll give spoilers if I explain further, but the point is that the storyline was just beautiful. Anne Skyvington is a remarkable storyteller; she never failed to paint a scene perfectly, and the characters she created were terrific and original, especially Bridie. This book is easily one of the best I’ve read in a while. In a nutshell, I liked everything about this book.
This book was clearly professionally edited. However, I noticed a little more than ten errors in the course of my reading—nothing distracting. Because of the number of errors I noticed, I am forced to deduct a star from the rating of this book. I’m rating Karrana 3 out of 4 stars . I would gladly rate this book 4 stars, but my hands are tied. In the main time, this book needs careful proofreading. This book is especially for historical romance lovers.
I was thrilled with this, as you can imagine!
I have since corrected the punctuation typos the editor found. So the score should be 4 out of 4 now.