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book reviews |
Multi-genre, multi-series, multi-volume author Mary Lu Scholl introduces us to her latest story, “Rhiannon: Lady Leprechaun”: Rhiannon is a little tired of being dismissed as a mere girl. Her mother is kidnapped, and her father leaves to find her. Meanwhile the kingdom is left in charge of her incompetent brother. What's a girl to do? Pick up a sword and go after them, that's what! She learns about being a leader, about the loyalties of her companions, and a lot about herself as she leaves clan, family and her love behind. Will the hardship and danger be worth the sacrifice? Rhiannon knows her mind and is not afraid to speak it. She is loyal to her parents but knows her brother, the prince will one day inherit the throne and is too self-centered to be a good king for the nation of Leprechauns. This is such a delightful story, I won't give anything away. I will say it's written with great respect for the little people and reflects well on the author's Irish heritage. Magic abounds in the land but everyone has their limitations and most know their place. Read this book, it's fabulous fun. 4.9 stars from me as I am picky about certain things. You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Rhiannon-Lady-Leprechaun-Mary-Lu-Scholl-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-rhiannon-lady-leprechaun You can connect with the author: https://x.com/MaryLScholl1 https://www.facebook.com/maryluschollauthor https://www.instagram.com/maryluscholl https://www.amazon.com/author/maryluscholl My review of the fourth volume in the Nature Coast Calamities, “Pu’ka and the Pirates” is here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/puka-and-the-pirates My review of the second volume in the Nature Coast Calamities, “Big Foot and The Bentley” is here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/big-foot-and-the-bentley My review of the first book of the Trailer Park Travails series, “Camper Catastrophe” is here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/camper-catastrophe-by-mary-lu-scholl My review of the second book of the Trailer Park Travails series, “Mobile Mayhem” is here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/mobile-mayhem My review of the third book of the Trailer Park Travails series, “Birds, Bees and RVs” is here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/birds-bees-and-rvs-by-mary-lu-scholl My review of the fourth book of the Trailer Park Travails series, “Trailer Trauma” is here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/trailer-trauma-trailer-park-travails-book-4 My review of the ninth book of the Trailer Park Travails series, "Fatal Philandering" is here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/fatal-philandering Tags: cozy, mystery, brother, fiction, action, leprechaun, spirit, shape-shifter Copyright © Mark L. Schultz 2025 except for the author’s introduction
58 Comments
Mary Lu Scholl
2/10/2025 04:15:14 pm
Thank you for a marvelous review!
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Mark
2/10/2025 04:28:01 pm
You're welcome. I enjoyed your story quite a bit. I like the idea of cozy fantasy.
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2/10/2025 06:16:07 pm
I'm a crotchety old woman living in Paradise and writing books to make people laugh. Except for this one. This one is dedicated to granddaughters everywhere - girls can be superheroes too.
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Mark
2/10/2025 06:23:17 pm
There were a couple of funny spots in this book, but nothing like your other books. I laugh a lot when I read your other books.
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Mary Lu
2/10/2025 06:41:17 pm
I am more full-time writer than anything else at the moment. I'm including ancillary activities to writing, though. As VP of Citrus Writers of FL, I beta read and proof read for all our members who ask. I also arrange events, advertise monthly presentations and recurring events. I also do my own amazon ads and videos for social media. Keeps me pretty busy. My mom lives with me. I have a church activities. I also work as a casual for Citrus County Parks and Recreation. For example I'm working registration for a kids' fishing clinic Saturday and spent a few hours two days last week helping with kids' archery.
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Mark
2/10/2025 07:42:04 pm
You wear a lot of hats and are very busy. I am retired from construction; I was a good tinner and so-so HVAC service technician. Electricity was hard for me. We live with our youngest daughter, her husband and their three girls. I am busier than ever and I love it.
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Mary Lu
2/10/2025 08:19:36 pm
Cozy Mysteries
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Mark
2/11/2025 08:12:32 am
It is fun to read, laugh and learn something new. I agree with you completely.
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I write to leave a mark of pleasure on someone's day. I try to include bits of things I've learned along the way. If the reader can identify with the character, maybe something I say will give them a lift, or maybe just a smile. A year from now, they may remember it and smile again. Because I'm Patty, I'll be immortal.
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Mark
2/11/2025 10:49:21 am
I think most authors write to provide entertainment for their readers. Like you, they hope their work is memorable.
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Mary Lu
2/11/2025 02:23:45 pm
I moved back to Florida into relative obscurity. Now people recognize me and ask me questions! I've gained more confidence through learning the self- publishing business.
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Mark
2/11/2025 04:27:39 pm
Relative obscurity sounds like you might be trying to avoid some relatives, maybe. ;-)
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Mary Scholl
2/11/2025 05:54:41 pm
My parents have always told me I could do anything. I just took them up on it. I got my love of reading from them both.
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Mark
2/12/2025 08:43:10 am
The two younger granddaughters turned nine and eleven last October. Eleven is struggling in many areas of her life. I will show her your book soon.
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Mary Scholl
2/12/2025 09:50:16 am
You had a perspicacious mom!
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Mark
2/12/2025 02:20:39 pm
I was a precocious child. Reading two years or more beyond my grade level.
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Mary Scholl
2/12/2025 03:12:45 pm
Funny you should ask...
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Mark
2/12/2025 04:59:32 pm
Pretty darn funny! You were a UFO debunker. I love it. My sisters said we saw one when we were children, but I don't recall it.
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Mary Scholl
2/12/2025 06:18:27 pm
Well, I write, then I edit. Then I send it to a beta reader or two. Then I rewrite and edit again...
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Mark
2/12/2025 07:08:29 pm
You have a lot of company. Many authors write similarly to you.
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Mary Scholl
2/12/2025 08:18:14 pm
Spread sheets! Who died, who killed him? Who has blue eyes? What were his kids' names?
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Mark
2/13/2025 08:42:14 am
Spreadsheets are a good idea. Another option would be to have a character bible. A single page for each character where the significant data could be centrally stored.
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Mary Scholl
2/13/2025 11:24:57 am
A notebook of character pages would be fun. I could use it to make up new characters and fill in backstories for when I need one!
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Mark
2/13/2025 01:34:27 pm
Good recommendations for both. I like it.
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Mary Scholl
2/13/2025 02:27:52 pm
Well, that's kind of funny. I pulled up irish names and liked this one. But I was pronouncing it
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Mark
2/13/2025 04:47:48 pm
I obviously don't have enough Hibernian blood in me to know how to pronounce the name. I was doing it wrong also.
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Mary Lu Scholl
2/13/2025 07:25:43 pm
The character names were only hard because I had to check the pronunciation of each one, so I didn't commit another faux pas. Some I didn't like as well after I did that, so, live and learn.
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Mark
2/13/2025 07:29:43 pm
I understand. Some of the foreign names can be real tongue twisters. Sometimes I think I might not be pronouncing a name correctly but decide to keep reading.
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Mary Scholl
2/13/2025 08:27:40 pm
I considered it once, and signed up. But, that month is so busy for a writer with books to sell that even though I did write most of one book during that month, I never took the time to 'do it' in the program.
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Mark
2/14/2025 09:01:05 am
Quite a few writers use the contest to jumpstart a new book. A few set aside a WIP to start something new. Some join groups for mutual support.
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Mary Scholl
2/14/2025 09:53:23 am
Really! I didn't know that about nanowrimo! Kind of a controversial decision!
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Mark
2/14/2025 01:50:39 pm
It is very controversial.
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Mary Scholl
2/14/2025 03:39:05 pm
When I started acting as Postmaster in various offices, the district was becoming aware that their managers had varying levels of skill in writing letters. It was managed that all customer communication was supposed to go through the district office. That sounded well and good until you realize that this was pre-internet. It could take up to two weeks to address a customer's concern. Ridiculous. I wrote up a dozen or so sample letters for the most common issues, sent them to the district to approve them for all purposes and then gave copies to all the managers I knew.
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Mark
2/14/2025 05:25:09 pm
Fan fiction can be a way for a person to learn the various mechanics of writing. And some fandoms are huge! Harry Potter and Star Wars are two that come to mind immediately. One of my granddaughters wrote some HP fan-fic when she was 9 or 10. She was actually pretty good. She gave a minor character more prominence in a storyline that fit the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter. She showed a few friends and then put it away. I encouraged her to write more to no avail.
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Mary Scholl
2/14/2025 06:04:37 pm
No. I know that building a house with tools works better than without. And I do use Autocrit and grammarly. But I use them for statistics, repetition, etc.
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Mark
2/14/2025 07:08:52 pm
Interesting analogy. I used to be in construction. I was a journeyman sheet metal worker and a journeyman HVAC technician. I did a little bit of residential work, but I didn't enjoy it as much as large, commercial, construction projects.
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Mary Scholl
2/14/2025 07:25:55 pm
No trolls. A couple of harsh reviews that I try to take constructively. You never know what someone is going through or of I just pushed someone's buttons. Life is too short to hold a grudge or be unhappy about something I can't change.
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Mark
2/15/2025 07:55:10 am
That is a great attitude! I have heard from more than one author about how upset they were with a negative review. I told them that the negative review validates the good reviews. The book has never been written that will be universally acclaimed.
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Mary Lu Scholl
2/15/2025 01:41:48 pm
Other than babysitting...
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Mark
2/15/2025 01:52:41 pm
Gotta love short jobs. I had a job that lasted about 2 hours. For context, my bio-father was a professional photographer, and I was living with him and his wife. This job was door to door setting appointments for family photographs. The photographer was close by and came immediately when I secured my first appointment on my first day. This guy showed up with a half-frame, 35 mm camera. I knew enough that the pictures were going to be poor quality if they were lucky. I quit immediately.
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Mary Scholl
2/15/2025 01:59:20 pm
Picking tomatoes made me appreciate my education! One summer.
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Mark
2/15/2025 03:49:17 pm
Public speaking can be fun and energizing! So many writers would prefer to be tazed, it seems. The secret to public speaking is to speak only about something you are passionate about and an expert in. For authors, the book or books they have written fills that bill quite well. Nobody knows the book as well as the author.
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Mary Scholl
2/15/2025 06:00:12 pm
One grandmother wrote two family histories - impressive! I have a cousin who has written a couple of textbooks on WWII. My aunt was ghostwriter for a man - one book.
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Mark
2/15/2025 07:33:24 pm
You are surrounded by writers in many parts of your life. Nice.
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Mary Scholl
2/15/2025 08:11:12 pm
Hmmm. It's supposed to be! I'll have to look into that. About a third of my royalties come from KU. With that many books, I haven't apparently paid close enough attention to notice it wasn't reporting on pages read. Thank you for mentioning it!
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Mark
2/16/2025 07:34:55 am
You're welcome. Like they say in the artillery, we aim to please.
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Mary Scholl
2/16/2025 07:47:22 am
I believe that's still the case, the option goes away and the royalty percentage decreased with optional markets.
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Mark
2/16/2025 02:06:50 pm
I am not surprised about Audible; I don't think of them usually because I read so much faster than the narrator speaks. I must speed the playback to 1.4 or 1.5 times the normal speed. I spent so many years learning to focus solely on the printed page that I can't keep my focus on the spoken word without increasing the playback speed.
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Mary Lu Scholl
2/16/2025 03:15:16 pm
Ribeye Steak and loaded potatoes, corn salad, butterscotch pie with chocolate drizzle! Kahlua+cream+vodka (note - I drink alcohol maybe twice a year) (designated driver, here!)
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Mark
2/16/2025 05:08:51 pm
That meal sounds delicious. I love a good, medium-rare ribeye!
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Mary Scholl
2/16/2025 08:20:03 pm
I think I've gotten better at the formatting process on my journey. I tell myself I can't expect the same polish, I'm a writer, not a publisher. So, does that give me leave to be less than I want to be? I don't think so, but it does allow me latitude to learn.
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Mary Scholl
2/17/2025 08:16:01 am
Did a little bit of research and discovered you now have to upload to B&N separately. That's a far as I had time for last night. When I discover more, I'll let you know.
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Mark
2/17/2025 08:39:57 am
Having to do all the work necessary to publish and market a book is the downside of being an indie author. The upside is you get to keep all the proceeds from the sales of your books.
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Mary Scholl
2/17/2025 10:34:24 am
Hands down AI. Close second is rewriting someone else's story with just enough minor modifications to get by. I guess those are 'writing' unethical, though, not publishing.
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Mark
2/17/2025 11:37:30 am
AI is truly a Pandora's box in many ways. Somethings it will do well other things poorly at best.
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Mary Lu Scholl
2/17/2025 12:55:53 pm
I'm afraid I'm going to evasive about that question. There are so many I hate to give precedence to any one. Especially, lately books I have listened to.
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Mark
2/17/2025 01:47:03 pm
I understand your reluctance in this matter. I cannot pin down one favorite book either. The same thing with favorite food. Before I embarked on this adventure of promoting books, I read mostly science fiction and an occasional fantasy story if it involved dragons. Those two genres are my top favorites still, now I love historical fiction and cozy murders almost as much. I have enjoyed romance books also more than I expected. I have become a fan of good writing.
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Mary Scholl
2/17/2025 03:41:02 pm
Thank you so much for including me in your library of reviews! Our chats are always fun and informative.
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Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
March 2025
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"I'm very pleased with all your efforts. Twitter promotion and proofreading were beyond what I expected with a book review. Your suggestions throughout the process of refining both books helped me immensely. I look forward to working with you again." A.E.H Veenman “Dial QR for Murder” and “Prepped for the Kill”
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