Painted Girl: The Spirit Key

Title: Painted Girl: The Spirit Key
Author:RA Winter
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Ebook
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws








All Painted Girl wants is to find her purpose in life, who she is and where does she belong.  She struggles to accept the will of her ancestors as she finds herself in a world of spirits.  Along the way she rekindles love and learns to accept her heritage for what it is and learns to become Painted Girl rather than just Sara.

My description was vague I know, I didn't want to give too much away about this novel.  If you have been with me for a while you know I have reviewed a book with the same title and same author before, Why review the same book?  The author has rewrote it and changed a few things and added a few things making it a completely different novel.  While some things are the same between the books, she did not simply copy and paste and add in new stuff, she made sure to make everything flow well together and happen naturally.


The novel opens with a heartbreaking scene that will set the stage for the events that follow in the rest of the book. It pulls the reader into the story to find out what will happen to Sara and how the spirits will effect her life.  While the book is primarily paranormal,  urban fantasy there are some romantic elements to the story which makes sense as it is about the life of Painted Girl as she discovers her place and purpose in life.  R.A. Winter paints a beautiful picture of her setting, everything is described in a way that allows the reader to envision what is happening including sounds and smells.  She creates a setting that is realistic and makes me want to be a part of it.


One of my favorite things about anything R.A writes is that she incorporates a lot of the Native American culture into her work such as everyone calling Grandfather, Grandfather even if they aren't blood related because it is a sign of respect.  It always adds a certain quality to the stories and gives Grandfather the air of reverence. Because of these elements she adds to the stories, you will walk away feeling like you learned something different even if the book is fiction/urban fantasy.  I love how Grandfather gets some things incorrect like Vizio Games instead of video games.  Makes me love him even more. I also love all the spirit elements and Sara or Grandfather speaking to the Great Spirits for one reason or another.  It goes back to my stating that R.A adds in a bit of the culture into the story, but it helps move the story along.


I am excited to see what R.A has in store for this series.  I am honored to call her a friend and look forward to what the future holds for her writing.  I will highly recommend this book to anyone regardless of your preferred genre.

Little Sparrow: Kiowa in Love

Title: Little Sparrow: Kiowa in Love by R.A Winter
Media: e:book: Nook
Rating 4 out of 5
Recommendation: I recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys a good romance that focuses on the relationship rather than "physical intimacy".

Karen is the epitome of a workaholic; she spends all her time at the office with little time for anything else.  When her mother finds out she has 3 weeks worth of vacation, she either uses or loses she demands that Karen spend the vacation time at home during Thanksgiving.  On her way home, Karen continues to run into Richard who is also on his way to spend time with a relative.  Throughout the course of their time together the discover feelings and spend an amazing couple of days together until a snow storms breaks.  Quickly they find out there are complications that bar them from being together.  In the following weeks, Karen is forced to face issues she struggles to forget and learns who she truly is.  Will Karen come back to her roots? Or will she keep running away?

This was a fantastic book to read.  It was refreshing to read a novel that actually focused on the building of a relationship rather than jumping into bed together all the time.  I really enjoyed that Richard took the time to get to know and understand Karen's family and culture.  That is something that is lacking in other romantic novels.  Others focus too much on the sexual aspect whereas Little Sparrow focuses on the time spent getting to one another, the thrill of a first (or second) kiss, the way your heart races just being close to that person.  Those elements are what make for a good romance novel and RA hits the nail on the head with her novel.

The various Native American elements added a special quality to the novel.  It helped give a perspective into a different culture.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Native American side of the First Thanksgiving story as well as all the cultural elements.  I thought it was funny that Karen's family were testing Richard the whole time!  Oh what would I do if my mother was asking a gentleman caller all kinds of sexual questions!  I am blushing just thinking about!