The McGregor Chronicles: Book 1 - Saving Mike
by Larry K. Collins, Lorna Collins
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
When space travel is an everyday occurrence, sleeping for long periods of travel is the norm. As Matt is waking from his sleep, he is hearing voices. Turns out he has medical nanobots in his body and they are ready to help him. As Matt finally comes to, he realizes that his brother Mike is gone. The McGregor Chronicles: Saving Mike is the story of what Matt goes through to rescue his brother, including being paired with a young Federation Officer, Tracy Warren, who although she has a pilot license, has never actually flown a craft. Whereas Matt, who doesn't have a license, has grown up on a space craft. The two work together against pirates and even some shady officials to hopefully bring their family back together again. Authors Larry K. Collins and Lorna Collins have teamed up to create a new space adventure.
The McGregor Chronicles, is set to be a series and this book in particular is the beginning. As a beginning book in a series, we are introduced to a very large McGregor Clan, mainly focusing in Matt and somewhat Mike, but you meet a number of others. We are also given some background and history of Tracy and her unique upbringing. Authors Larry K. Collins and Lorna Collins have given the reader space travel, adventure, pirates, corruption, military, family and a touch of romance all in one story. All of this keeps the story moving along at a quick pace and before you realize it the book is over. There is also the nanobot technology and the moral and ethical questions in how to use it, which will cause you to pause and think. This is a very clean book, no sex or foul language. I feel confident recommending it to teens, young adults and older readers.
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Titan Lost (Galactic Lineage, Book 1)
by Colin Kortekaas
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
War, environmental destruction, and greed are only a few things that have made Earth someplace not really all that great to live. An experimental mining colony has been set up on Saturn's moon, Titan. It seems to be a strange cross-section of people who have chosen to try life in the colony. A jumbled distress call goes out from the colony and Mack is hired to travel to the Titan colony and find out what is going on. In the book, Titan Lost (Galactic Lineage Book 1), you start with Mack arriving at Titan, then you jump back three years to when the distress call was sent out and as you progress through the story, you go back and forth, in flashbacks and such. Author Colin Kortekaas gives you a number of characters that you will either like or hate. There is the scientist, Gus; the doctor, John; the biologist, Irene; and the miner, Max.
Titan Lost (Galactic Lineage, Book 1) is the beginning of a series. Usually when you read a book you are pretty sure where the series is going to go, but with this, there is a slight teaser at the very end, but no real hints as to what you will find in the next book. That makes the wait for the next book that much harder. Author Colin Kortekaas gives the reader an story full of adventure, morals, future living and the story moves along quickly. You find yourself engaged in the story and before you realize it the book is done. Other than some mild adult language, this is a fairly clean book. I would easily recommend it for teens, young adults and older readers.
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Dusgadh Essence of Life Book One: The Awakening
by Margaret A. Daly
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Dusgadh, such an odd word to title a story, but then when you subtitle it Essence of Life, maybe it makes more sense. Ember has never felt like she fit in. She loved her family, but they were taken from her in middle school and she was left with only her older sister. She has trouble making friends, and even worse, she sees ghosts. She is just fumbling along in life until one night, a party and a seance in the park brings up something more than Ember or anyone else was expecting. Author +Margaret A. Daly sets this fantasy, supernatural, paranormal story around a group of late teenagers. Throwing in past-lives and reincarnation along with some evil magic, power hungry kings and rebel forces bent on resistance. How it all comes together is the beginning of a series, and this story is the start, the Awakening, or the memories of the past returning to Ember, allowing her to continue on her mission.
Dùsgadh: Essence of Life, The Awakening is a wonderful first book in a series, in fact I really thought it was a complete book until the very end when I realized there was more to be told still. By using the concept of awakening, Ember recovers her memories of the past and her past lives in this book, and so her sister is there to explain things to her as well as her two guardians. Although author +Margaret A. Daly uses this book to set the background and introduce you to characters and the whole concept of the story, it still has plenty of action, adventure and death to keep you on the edge of your seat as you are reading. There are even some people that are barely mentioned in this book, that I have a sneaking feeling are going to show up in later books, only because I just can't see the author making the deal out of them in this book without them showing up again somewhere. This is a great read, and I am willing to say middle schoolers, teens, young adults and up would enjoy this story!
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The Birth of Death
by Joseph Macolino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Forget all you know and read with me of a different world, created by the Druids and for them. Deep in nature, the Druids each created species to help them take care of their specific area. Time has passed and the Druids have all long gone and passed on, but the species each thrive and continue to take care of their own areas. The Birth of Death tells of a story that had been told of a great sin being committed but that nature had taken care of that sin, most people thought the story to just be a story and nothing more. As we learn the story is more, there are truths and that sin is more than just a sin, but death. How can the species defend themselves from this new threat? Is there a chance that they might be able to put aside their differences and work together, just this one time, for the good of Evorath? Author +Joseph P. Macolino has created another world to set his story of evil, the need for people to set aside differences and work together, and revolution.
The Birth of Death is a wonderful tale of a world that was created in all the splendor of nature to be the home of each of nine Druids. The Druids each then created a species of people to help them take care if that home. Each species was best suited to take care of the nature where they lived and had the specific powers of their Druid. Author +Joseph P. Macolino creates a fantasy story, that you can easily read and enjoy. If you take the time to really notice the story being told, you can see conflicts that minor our own in society. Granted we may not be facing death in the form of a person, but the world needs us to put aside different sides and work together towards a common goal. If you allow yourself to listen to the deeper meanings and think about it, this is a highly thought provoking book. There are a number of things that occur that should upset you. I recommend this book for most all readers, personally I feel that teens and young adults could handle it, but that would be a parental judgement call.
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The Fussy Librarian
The Books of Azric: The Beginning
by B M Griffin
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Forget everything you learned in school about the world and the planets. Image a world, or a series of worlds, we'll call them realms for this story, each is different, has a completely different landscape, ecosystem, native peoples, and technology; yet they are all connected through a series of central portals. One portal going to and from each realm. Interested? This is where The Books of Azric begin. Helping us get a little history into the whys and hows of this world is Zane, a young elf boy that bounty hunter Colt has taken under his wing, so to speak. Since Zane has had no school Colt tells him what he knows, a little at a time. But this isn't just a story of a bounty hunter teaching his apprentice, no they are being hunted by a villain, at the same time they are hunting the villain, all of which has been set up by a slightly dishonest nobleman and a mysterious man talking about the true lineage of the king. Author +B. M. Griffin gives the reader so much to digest that at times you are not sure who is really the good guy and who is the bad guy.
While The Books of Azric is set as the first in a series, it definitely sets up the world and gives you some knowledge on the worlds and just enough to keep you sorta knowing what is going on, but not enough so that you just have to keep reading to figure it all out. The cast of characters that author+B. M. Griffin creates in this book are amazing too, because you don't just have your main characters a some bit pieces, you have three to four full storylines going at any one time with a full cast of characters, now sometimes those characters overlap with each other and other times, things are going on in one realm at the same time in another realm. The author engages all your senses in trying to keep everything straight and at times you think you know what is going on, only to find what you thought was wrong, they fooled you as well as the people in the story. This is a great story, definitely lost of violence, its bounty hunting and crimes and sheriffs, it just is, not too graphic, but its there. Young adult and up would be a good audience.
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Witch of Death
by Chrys Fey
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
As a Detective, what do you do when your victim is floating five feet off the bed? Well you call in another Detective, who just happens to be a witch, what else. Liberty Sawyer is a witch, and she takes her abilities seriously and does what she can to prevent and help the police, including her Uncle. She can't help it if his new partner is good looking, and a real pain in the butt because he refuses to believe anything she says. Witch of Death is a short story about Liberty and Reid's interactions as she helps them with two murders, and hopefully to prevent a third, and as Reid comes to believe in something he doesn't understand. Author +Chrys Fey writes a well thought out story, with emotional impact. When Liberty makes a point to Reid, you can feel the tenseness in her body, the stress and power in her voice and the strong stance as she says it. Not every author can do that for the reader.
Witch of Death is a short story, I for one, really wish is had been about twice as long. Not that I wanted any more murders or anything, but more interaction between Liberty and Reid would have been great between the confrontation and the call for help. This is a quick read so great for a traveling book. Author +Chrys Fey really thought out the story, it makes sense to flows well and there is nothing in it that doesn't need to be. Of course it could be longer if the author added a bunch of filler, but sometimes it's better not to have all of that stuff. There is no graphic violence, although the deaths by magic are described and no sex, so this is a clean book for any reader. Not sure you want to try a paranormal or supernatural story, this is the one to start with, short, just enough to get you feet wet and make you want more.
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Hunting the Hunter
by Collin Fairlie
My rating: 4.0 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
In a family of extraordinary people, Charlie is just Charlie. He was an average or below student in school, never very athletic, never all that great with the women, just kinda average. All he ever wanted was his father to be proud of him. Trouble was his younger twin brother and sister, the simple fact that they were twins outdid him. His father looked at it as a two-for-one. Then there was the fact that they were just better at the family business than he was. After years of begging, Charlie is finally out in the field on Long Island. Problem is he doesn't have an exact location, he has to find it himself, and he is going to. All the while collect Census Information. Hunting the Hunter is what happens when Charlie finds what he is hunting, and it turns on that he wasn't suppose to find them in the first place, but he takes it on anyway on his own. Can he take it down or will he become the prey? Author +Collin Fairlie gives the readers a short story that never quite comes out in black and white and tells you exactly what is going on, but only alludes to it, refers to it and gives innuendos.
Hunting the Hunter is a short story, easily read in one sitting, so this is a great plane ride book, or train book, vacation book. You never actually meet any of the family, just Charlie, you just know them from what he tells you and your opinions of them change as you learn more and more about them. Author +Collin Fairlie does a wonderful job of writing a story that you understand what is going on, but at the same time he never actually comes out and says it in black and white, you have to read into what is being said, and that is part of what makes this book so fun. Some of the conversations have double even triple meanings and you will be giggling as you are reading. There is no sex and no graphic violence, so I have no problem recommending this book to teens and older. Definitely a must read.
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Rogue's Hollow
by Jan Tilley
My rating: 4.6 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
You've driven through them, those little places way out in the middle of nowhere that are no more that a collection of five or six houses, a store and a bridge or two. That is Rogue's Hollow, the old mill used to employ a lot of people, but when it shut down and most people moved out of town, Norma turned the mill into a general store. Now that Malachi has it, he's added a little history section, a guide to all the haunted places around the area and they do a pretty good business around Halloween. When a turn of events brings young Travis into his store and life, he finds a friend, and Travis finds a purpose. Author +Jan Tilley gives the readers what looks like on the surface a heartwarming story of an old man mentoring a young kid and both of them being better for it. Problem is, there are secrets, deep secrets they both hide, deeper that either of them realized at first.
Rogue's Hollow is the perfect name for the town. The only two people left in town that we meet are Malachi and Roberta and they are not about to move. They are definitely rogue's not conforming to the idea of leaving this old forgotten place and moving on. Slowly over time you learn the history of each of the places that are said to be haunted, and some of them are truly haunted it you're willing to be patient. Over time the history of the town and the forefathers is revealed as well, and that is a little different to say the least. Author +Jan Tilley writes a wonderful heartwarming story with dark undertones that you just can't figure out until the last page. It is a great read for anyone, young adult through old adult. This is really going to keep you glued to your chair!
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The Indigo Journals: Spiritual Healing For Indigo Adults & Other Feminine Souls
by Yol Swan
My rating: 3.8 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
For those who feel they don't fit into this world properly, that they are square pegs in a round peg world, The Indigo Journals is a new look at defining that, discovering yourself, and embracing it. Author +Yol Swan takes you on a long journey to understand the concept of the Indigo person, and the feminine soul. The book is broken down into two main parts. The first half is the author's life story and how she came to discover that she was in fact a feminine soul and this whole concept. The second part is then defining that in your life and the steps and helps that she takes in helping the people that she works with in real life to adjust to the concept of being Indigo people.
The Indigo Journals follows a relatively recent idea that people have colored souls. In using that philosophy Author +Yol Swan explains that they disappear into art, music, literature, writing, anything creative to deal with the feelings of not belonging. The author takes her ideas one step further and defines our souls as being masculine or feminine, just as our outward personalities are; and they vary on a continuum scale. In taking the first section of the book to give the readers her own story, you not only see her struggles but you start understanding what the Indigo person is and the feminine soul is in addition. When you get to the second part you are ready to look at your own life more closely and determine if you are a feminine soul.
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Dark Waters (Elementals, Book 1)
by Rain Oxford
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
As a private investigator, Devon Sanders is good, not just good but extremely good, he seems to have a real touch for the job. Never mention it might be magic in his presence though because he has stayed as far away from magic as possible as long as he can remember. Problem is, the best paying job ever means he has to go undercover at the Magic School. Devon must find the killer of five students, then murders start happening at the school, and there is more of a rush to figure who is behind it. Dark Waters is part magic, part vampire, part shifter, part fae story mixed with a huge murder mystery, topped with some repressed memories that start coming out now at the school. Author +Rain Oxford takes so many different parts and seamlessly puts them together into a story that works. The reader feels part of the world of the book.
The magic school in Dark Waters immediately makes me think of Hogwarts from Harry Potter, and although there are some similarities, there are differences too. This school includes not just magic, but shifters and fae, including Devon's two roommates. Mixing all these groups, magic, vampires, shifters, and fae together is usually hard and something doesn't sound right, but this book is written well and it feels right. Author +Rain Oxford does well to take a major murder mystery and add in the whole paranormal, supernatural element. There are a few times when you might get confused, mostly because Devon and his roommate Darwin's names are so similar, you find yourself re-reading parts to make sure you read that right. Although Devon is in his thirties, his roommates are in their twenties, and with the school aspect, this could really even be considered as a young adult novel. This is definitely a good read.
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Dark Legacy
by M.A. Anderson
My rating: 4.9 of 5 stars
*If you've been reading my blog on book reviews long you will realize that I don't give 5's very often. Personally I hate the 5 point system because there is a wide range of books between 4 and 5. Also, to me a 5 is perfect and I just don't think any book is perfect.**
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
In LA there is always crime and homicides, but the latest string has Detective Reese Daniels mystified. They are drained of blood, but no wounds. One would be victim didn't get fully drained and was found alive and rushed to the ER, where Doctor Andre Delacroix manages to save his life. When Reese calls his best friend Andre to ask a question about blood, Andre informs him about his patient. The thing that scares Andre is that this looks like a vampire to him, and he's not sure Reese will believe him. Dark Legacy is a tell of cops chasing after a killer always one step ahead of them, a doctor, who just happens to be a vampire, but not a killing one, teaming together with an unconventional priest and in the end the chief, to fight something they have no clue how to deal with. Author +M. A. Anderson gives readers a tell that you can not put down. There are so many twists and turns, it becomes so complex as more and more people, who you originally think are just bit characters in the book become more and more involved in the story. You never know who will become important.
While there many be any number of Vampire novels on the shelf, this one is so different and wild. It's not your typical boy-girl romance/ human-vampire romance. This is crime, serial killer, detective novel mixed with a vampire and priest vampire hunter, a nightclub, and even a shifter thrown in for good measure. Author +M. A. Anderson has really taken a great mystery novel and interwoven a vampire theme into it, and believe me it will keep you guessing until the very last page. To be honest, I think this is the first time I have read a crime novel that included vampires, and I really liked it. I hope to see more of this type now that the barrier has been broken. Definitely an adult book, although the sex scenes are only alluded to, and the violence is described tastefully. Young adults and teens would be a parent call. But this is definitely one you don't want to pass!
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Julian's Farewell (Bloodmates, Book One)
by Jaden Sinclair
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Society in general may have progressed past the chaste and class systems of long ago, but in the Vampire world, it is alive and well and strongly upheld. As the first-born of a Noble father, Julian was expected to take his place a Noble, maybe a seat on the elders and submit to an arranged marriage to a preselected bloodmate, even if she wasn't his true bloodmate. That's not Julian, so he took off, he's been tracking rouges and whatnot ever since, but this last mission is a dozy, track a wacko that thinks he can "cure" his daughter of being a bloodmate. Only problem, she is Julian's true bloodmate. Julian's Farewell is the story of Julian's search for them, his rescue of her and their life on the run for ten months. All the while a war is raging against the vampire community and they are being killed off in the greatest numbers ever, and no one seems to know what to do about it. Author Jaden Sinclair gives us a vampire war novel, with a love story overlain on top of it. At the heart of the book, is the killing of the vampires, what is going on and how to stop it, but up front you have this sweet, innocent, magical love story.
Julian's Farewell seems like an odd title for a love story, and it is, but I never thought about it until after I finished the book and then I realized it. He's been a rogue, rebel and doing his own thing for so long, but now he has found that one woman that can ground him. The book is the first in a series, and it does leave you waiting for the next installment because you are like, wait, what, give me more. Jaden Sinclair manages to make it a little different than the other vampire novels out there so that you are interested enough to read and find out about it. You fall in love with Serena's innocence, you love the way Julian acts with her. There are just so many things that are good about this book. Definitely an adult book, yes there is married couple scenes and although not overly graphic, you know what is going on, so I wouldn't give it to my teens. Great read, waiting on the next!
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Author Spotlight
Dragon Destiny (The Dragshi Chronicles, Book One)
by Helen Henderson
My rating: 4.7 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Take a step back in time, to a world when dragons flew the skies, travelers arrived on horse or foot, and trading caravans of horse carriages still existed. Branin is one of a rare breed, a dragon shifter, of dragshi, he can change form from human to dragon and back, but he is the last. There hasn't been another born in over three hundred years, and Branin has been alone. The dragshi can mind speak, and one day in flight Branin hears someone in his mind, all he is able to get is her name, Anastasia. That is enough, he puts everything and everyone he can into finding her. Anastasia is a trader girl, of immense intelligence, but feeling alone and that she doesn't quite fit in. When she meet Branin, he life feels so much richer, but he keeps so much distance between them and she doesn't understand why. Dragon Destiny is Branin and Anastasia's story, of finding each other, and of awakening in her, the sleeping dragon that only Branin believes is there. +Helen B. Henderson gives the reader a powerful tale of young love, of holding back, of understanding and of making life work.
Dragon Destiny is set to be the first book in a series and I can't imagine where the series will go from here! This book not only has Branin and Anastasia's love story, it has the jealous ex-girlfriend, although she thought she was more important than she was to Branin. Actually, she thinks she is more important than anyone, she takes the cake when it comes to narcissism, but she makes for some great reading at times. Author +Helen B. Henderson is refreshing, in that this book takes you out of the modern world for a time. You can read and relax in the calm of a world with no beeps, bings or bells. There is a richness in her writing that allows you to get into the characters and feel for them, you want them to succeed, and not just Branin and Anastasia the other characters in the book, the old ones, or the true dragons and the other dragshi. You find yourself being pulled into the story and not wanting to put it down. There is no sex at all in the book, there is some violence, I'm talking highwayman attacks on the trail and animal attacks, but they are not graphic at all. I would easily recommend this to teen readers all the way up to adults. Worth reading and one enjoyable read!!
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Kindling Flames : Gathering Tinder (The Ancient Fire Series, 1)
by Julie Wetzel
My rating: 4.4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Growing up, first on a farm, then in a small town, Vicky Westernly moves to the big city for the education and job opportunities it will afford her. So far those jobs are looking to promising, so when the temp agency sends her to Mr. Ritter's office, she has no idea what to expect. Darian Ritter isn't mean, just demanding and he needs a personal assistant that can handle his hectic life and keep him together. When he first see's Vicky, he doesn't think she can do it, but as he talks to her, she surprises him and he gives her a chance, and she continues to surprise him. Just under the surface of what you see is the reality, Darian Ritter is in fact a very powerful vampire, and things are afoot in town. Kindling Flames: Gathering Tinder follows Darian and Vicky as she learns his secret and deals with it, learns about out supernaturals in the world and continues to impress Darian with her ability to keep him on task and organized. Author +Julie Wetzel gives the reader a vampire novel that breaks the mold of vampire novels.
Author +Julie Wetzel combines the business world, an amazingly powerful vampire, in fact so powerful that the whole community is in awe of him, and a naive and innocent girl together into this worth story that keeps you guessing until the last page, when you scream because you want more. Kindling Flames: Gathering Tinder is billed as the first book in The Ancient Fire series, and as the story begins we are treated to another house burning uncontrollably with dead bodies in the yard. Something is going on, and it is not of this world. This is a really great beginning series book. You have a number of storylines aside from the main storyline running through the novel, and there is no sex or violence in the book at all. It might be implied that it happened, but no details. Great for all readers.
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The Advocate's Betrayal
by Teresa Burrell
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
As a lawyer in juvenile court, Sabre Brown's job is to represent the children that are being or have been removed from their parents care. As their advocate she is a tough cookie and good at what she does, along with her best friend Bob. When she get's and early morning phone call from her friend Betty that her husband John is dead, and then when Betty is arrested for his murder, Sabre takes a crash course in legal matter to represent her friend. No matter what she asks, Betty is hiding something. The Advocate's Betrayal is the story of what happens when the people you think you know are not actually the people you know at all, everyone has secrets, some of them kept for good reasons and others not so good. Author Teresa Burrell gives the readers a second book in the series of Sabre's life focusing on the juvenile court and the legal system, with lots of twists and turns. There are even a couple of side cases thrown in to make it even more interesting.
The Advocate's Betrayal, as a title tells you that someone is going to do something wrong to Sabre, so from the being of the book, you are looking at everyone you meet with a critical eye. Some are people from the last book and some are new. You don't know if they are in her personal life or the court cases, so you are really looking at everyone. It makes the book that much harder to put down. Author Teresa Burrell does a wonderful job of bringing to life the people in the book, the ones we like, the ones we don't care for and the ones we hate! Just as in the first book, she takes and twists the plot together, intertwining characters that shouldn't be connected in the least together in the most of intimate of ways. As a legal suspense novel, you get the police, the lawyers, the private investigator and the mob in this book. It a great story for all readers. There is some off scene sex and violence, but nothing graphic.
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The Advocate: An S.O.B. Legal Suspense Novel
by Teresa Burrell
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Sabre Brown is a lawyer, but not just any lawyer, she works in "kiddie court", that means she is assigned to represent the children in cases when they are taken out of the home. Sabre is good at her job, and with her best friend Bob, they rule kiddie court as the best.
Sabre's new case, the Murdock case seems straight forward, but there is something about the way the girlfriend looks at Mr. Murdock, and the way the children act that just doesn't feel right. Sabre is sure there is something more going on.
Going on her gut instinct, she makes a call to Atlanta to where the Murdock's hail from, to find the family name is well-respected and huge in the area. She just happens, good fortune or fate, to get the one detective who has a vested interest in what she is asking about. Between the two of them, and some favors owed with the FBI and Internal Affairs, and even a little Private Investigator action they uncover much more than just a mommy and daddy fighting in front of the kids!!
This is the first book in what is scheduled to be a series written about the life and adventures of Sabre Brown. The focus being her job as a lawyer in kiddie court as an advocate for the children in the court proceedings, and uncovering all the hidden information that needs to be found to make the proper decisions.
Really neat book, lots of twists and turns, intertwining people you would never image knowing each other together. Fitting together lots of pieces of a puzzle and yet leaving a number of them out there for future books.
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Emma... to Begin Again
by Debbie Brown
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
For five years Emma has put off coming back here, back to the place she called home. She just couldn't bear it at first, and it was easier to put it off than to deal with it, but now she was going to have to deal with it. It still hurt, her parents were gone, killed in a plane crash on their way to her graduation, now she was left alone. Emma....to Begin Again, is the story of Emma, deciding to stay at her parents old farmhouse, to tend the few animals and grow a garden, to start anew. Author Debbie Brown throws in a twist when one day Emma sees what has to be a plane crash but she never sees a plane, as she follows the trail, she finds an injured man, that she takes home and nurses back to health. Adding him into her quiet life is another new beginning. As time goes by and we learn the heritage of her stranger, another even larger twist is in store for Emma and the readers. Take a little Native American folktale, add in a touch of romance, a little fantasy, and a bit of science fiction and you have this book.
Emma....to Begin Again, is a wonderful title, and as I started to read the book I thought it was talking about her decision to stay on the farm. Little did I know that as the book would go on Emma would be faced with a number of circumstances that would force her to begin again. Author Debbie Brown does a spectacular job of taking an old Native American folktale of the Star Brother and weaving it with a realistic modern life, adding in just enough science fiction and fantasy to make it believable. This is a perfect book for all readers. There is no sex or violence in the book at all, so it is perfect for teens, young adults as well as adult readers.
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GHOST (The Lycan Series, Book 1)
by P. Gordon Lamb
My rating: 4.4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Sara spends her late teen years learning to survive on her own, to fight, to take care of herself and to blend in with the woods. She makes vague references to "the incident" but it is only much later in the book do you find out what really happened and it changes your opinions of some of the people. As she grows up Sara becomes a world-renowned photographer and artist. Her ability to give life to her pictures is what everyone wants. One night, while sitting high in a tree, Sara sees something she can not believe, a group of men shifting into wolves, later a woman runs into the clearing, followed by a man, who is beating her, all the sudden the wolves return and save the woman. Many years later the picture that Sara painted from that night has gotten shipped to a small gallery instead of New York and she ends up in a Lycan community. Now just keeping their secret is not the only thing Sara faces and the pack faces an impending attack. Ghost is the title of the painting that brings this whole adventure in Sara's life to pass. Author P Gordon Lamb gives the reader a wonderful paranormal, shape-shifter novel that is educated and well written.
Ghost, the title of the book, the title of the painting, and an ancient type of Lycan that can not control their shifting that is much stronger. What a perfect word since we find all of these in the book. This is also billed by author P Gordon Lamb as the first in the series, and so we met all three of the Pritchard brothers in this book, although this one is about Hawk. So it sets a background for following books. It's a good, well-written, well thought out paranormal novel featuring the Lycan's. Some sexual situations, between married couples but not graphic, only one fight, no details really. Good read for young adult and adult readers.
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Second Blood (The Blooddaughter Trilogy, Book 1)
by Wil Ogden
My rating: 4.6 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
The best thing about working in a bookstore, getting to read a new release on your break. Too bad today was Shauna's last day, the boss said it was economics, and she deserved better. She was offered a ride home by a handsome customer, but had to make a stop at the courthouse for her sister. Her sister takes her to a club known for having vampires, turns out they are fakes. That is untl she gets home and finds the real vampires in her living room and they wipe her memory. Problem is a copycat killer has decided on her as tonight's victim to go along with the release of a new vampire novel. Luckily before she dies, she is rescued and turned by James. Second Blood tells how she begins her first week of life as a vampire, learning the rules, hierarchy and who to trust and not to trust. Also what secrets toe trust. Author Wil Ogden gives the reader a different vein of Vampire novel, it's not your typical vampire-human romance. This is learning the way of life and trying to survive week one.
The title Second Blood is a homage to the fact that Shauna is the only vampire that her Bloodfather James has ever turned, this makes her a quite powerful vampire. It had never been his intention to make another generation, but when faced with the choice of life or death of Shauna, he turned her. Author Wil Ogden bills this as the first book in a trilogy, and as such this lays a wonderful foundation and history lesson for the trilogy. It gives you a great place to go from, it is still a great story and adventure. Great work of a great author to be able to give all the background you need for a series and still make the story fun and exciting. Great read for any reader, no sexual content, but some violence, not graphic.
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Frappe Today Dead Tomorrow (Dead Girls & Coffee, 1)
by Leah Fitchett
My rating: 4.6 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Emma is not your typical gal, no she moved to a tiny little town, bought a run-down looking store in the middle of town and make it into a used bookstore and coffee shop then bought herself a little cottage way out of town to live in. For a coffee and book addict, this is the perfect life! Her day starts normal, her favorite customer, a cute redhead she always just called Lion pops in for a cheesecake frappe and the talk for a minute. The day passes and it ends up being a long one, on her way home Emma spots something laying in the road, as she gets out to look, she realizes its a body, its Lion and she is barely alive. Emma puts her in the car and rushes her to the hospital. The next day, Emma finds herself sharing a house with Lion, whose real name is Star's spirit, who says she can't remember what happened and needs Emma's help to figure it out. Frappe Today Dead Tomorrow is the sometimes hilarious, sometimes dangerous journey that Emma and Star take to try to find a killer. Author Leah J. Fitchett gives the reader a tell that is not too dark, not to light but a whole lot of just right to enjoy anytime you need a quick read.
Frappe Today Dead Tomorrow is definitely what I would call a cozy mystery genre. You have an cozy setting, the used bookstore slash coffee shop. Then you have a murder, although Star is still alive and in a coma in the hospital, her spirit is still with Emma. Now, add in a love interest in the form of the nerdy but handsome new age, occult, wicca store owner named Aiden and you have everything you need for an afternoon of fun reading! Author Leah J. Fitchett takes great pains to give you just enough information about what happened to Star to bring about Emma finding her, without going into graphic detail, but you can still picture it in your mind, and you can see and feel the reactions of the characters from the way it is written, they are appalled and repulsed. I think it was the perfect way to deal with it in this particular story. This is a great, fun, quick read for anyone!
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The Firelight Angels
by Joy Ross Davis
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Hap, actually Michael Murray, is a come-lately reporter given an assignment to do a human interest piece on a town he was once familiar with, the one his grandma used to live in. He hasn't been there in years and swore he would never go back, but his memories of that place are fuzzy and non-existent. He takes a young photographer Joey with him and they check into the Hotel. In the gift shop Hap notices the Firelight Angel Dolls, when asking about them he gets a bit brushed off by the hotel owner. As Hap digs deeper into the mysteries of the town, the Firelight Angels, the people and his own history strange accidents start occurring that are definitely not real accidents. Someone wants Hap to stop digging and they are willing to murder to stop him. Author +Joy Ross Davis paints the picture of a typical small town, southern through and through, good people, but a bit gossipy!
The Firelight Angels not only give us the story of the bad guy, believing he is better than God and knows more, and the town needs to follow him. Versus the slightly skeptical man, who begins to believe and is determined to see justice. You also have the story of the victim of a fire, trapped in her own mind by the loss of her own sons, yet able to create these original one-of-a kind dolls that replicate children of the town, which is even more incredible because she never leaves her room and has never seen anyone in town since the fire that claimed her own children. +Joy Ross Davis creates a story that is part romance, part mystery, part paranormal, part alternative belief but is all a good read. I would recommend this to all readers! Well worth the time and effort.
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Second Nature (Blood at First Sight Series, Book 1)
by Marie Lavender
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Alec is not your ordinary drop-dead handsome man, he is a vampire, and he smells the most amazing blood he has ever met. He is looking for it when he finds it at a festival. Desiree is a young woman with a broken heart and soul. She has been unlucky in love, but she thinks she is ok. Alec has to know more about her, he wants to know her not just have a taste of her blood, which is something he has never done. Desiree is strong than she thinks and her mind is even stronger, she is able to resist the normal Vampire mind thoughts, and Alec knows there is something special about her, but it also puts her in danger. He takes a bold step and kidnaps her, taking her to his house. Second Nature follows Alec and Desiree as she begins to learn about Alec and trust him. Along the way, they find something more than they ever thought possible, but they both know in reality, it can never work, right? A human and a Vampire? Author +Marie Lavender gives us a different look into the Vampire-Human relationships.
Second Nature by author +Marie Lavender is not your typical vampire novel. Alec is a lone vampire, he does not live in a group, or family. Vampires do not mix with humans at all other than to take the amounts of blood they need, but only that much. So when Alec is taken with Desiree this is something he is completely unprepared for and has no idea how to handle. Desiree has no idea vampires exist, but takes the news relatively well. Given her unlucky past with her ex-husband she has a hard time trusting Alec, but he works to win her trust. In reality this is much more a romance novel, it is the story of Alec and Desiree, the fact that they are human and vampire is secondary. Anyone who enjoys a good romance should read this one, it is an emotional read!
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Crave: An erotic romance novel
by Amelia Gates'
My rating: 4.9 of 5 stars
**If you have been reading my reviews long you know two things. 1. I rarely give a 5, because that is perfect and no book is perfect. 2. I rarely do erotic! It's a touchy subject, some people are offended, some want me to do more, I can't make everyone happy. This was a request, and it could, maybe border on the line of being marketed as a Romance-Sizzle. So it's here! Don't email and yell at me, if you don't like it, don't read the review - just skip it!! **
What do you do when the man you have invested everything into all the sudden tells you it is over and to get out? You put four years into this and he gives you no reason nothing? Well you head to your best friends of course.
For Keira, her best friend just happens to be the incredibly sexy Kevin. They have been best friends for ten years and she knows she can count on him. He lets her crash in his spare room, and after three months, he finally decides that he is dragging her out to the club. Which turns into a disaster when a woman Keira has never met calls her a bitch and starts a fight. Once the other woman is escorted out, things get heated between Keira and Kev, but he stops it before they go too far.
As Keira tries to get her life back together and on track, it seems like everyone knows something about her life that she doesn't. And then there is the animal like attraction to Kevin she has felt ever since the night at the club, but Kevin is the party-boy, she wants to settle down and have a family, she wants stable, not excitement.
Things continue to get more and more complicated as Keira goes back to her ex Jimmy and the safe, stable, boring life. The one she thinks she wants so that she can have a family. Things just don't seem to be adding up, he is lying to her, she can tell, and the password on his phone, what is going on. Kevin seems to know something but he keeps saying it is not his tale to tell.
Follow along as Keira struggles to find out what she really wants, who she really wants and does falling in love and settling down really mean that you have to become stale and simple. Can't love always be exciting?
This has got to be the best romance novel I have read this year, yes the intimate sex scenes between Keira and Kevin are pretty intense and detailed, but I sure didn't mind them at all. I found myself envying her just a little bit at times. Thank goodness the boring crap with Jimmy was left out of the book! The story is about more than just the sex, it's about loving someone, waiting for them, about not knowing what you want, mistaking safe and secure for boring and stale. Instead of calling it a erotic romance, I would say its a romance laced with erotica, because the romance is more important. To be completely honest this book had me laughing and crying, and crying with Keira, and begging her to talk to Kevin and yelling at her to ignore Jimmy and that he wasn't worth the tears, and that was at the beginning of the book before I learned his secrets. Even is your don't normally read anything erotica or never have, give this a try!!
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Loving the Headsman's Daughter : A Medieval Romance Fantasy
by Oscar Manta
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
In the Spring of 1558, Denis, having finished his apprenticeship was traveling to Rouen looking to a position at the armory. On the way, one evening having not found an Inn, he followed a stream until he came upon a campfire where he was surprised to find a beautiful redhaired woman, alone. Jacquette and Denis share dinner and the evening together, by morning Denis is sure she was a dream. Denis continues into Rouen and life goes on as normal except that he can't get he can't get Jacquette out of his mind. The town of Rouen was getting ready to have a public execution involving the beheading of two men and the torture and death of three others. A famous Headsman, Chastain and his family have been called in to take care of the deaths. A few days before a the execution, Denis walked into the Tavern and there he saw Jacquette, but he could not approach her, finally she went out back and he was able to talk to her. They made plans, and would meet again. What follows is the story of Jacquette and Denis falling in love, dealing with her job, his wrongful imprisonment, and so much more. Loving the Headsman's Daughter is medieval romance with a modern twist. Author Oscar Manta spices up this novel with police corruption, sizzling romance, and forbidden loves.
Loving the Headsman's Daughter may be set in medieval times, as the novel starts in the Spring of 1558, but the ideas of romance and the relationships that unfold in the story are purely modern. They might have actually occurred during the era, but it is not recorded history. While I was reading this I was I was surprised time and time again by the twists and turns in the story, and the twisted thoughts of some of the people in the novel. I thought it was a great read, definitely an adult book and there might be some readers offended by some of the relationships in the book. Really, it was worth the time to read to read it, something new and different.
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A Gift of Ghosts (Tassamara, #1)
by Sarah Wynde
My rating: 4.9 of 5 stars
**If you have been reading me long you know that I rarely give 5's. To me a 5 is perfect, and no book can really be perfect, right, but it can come darn close. This was one of those!!**
This book has been sitting on my reading iPad forever it seems. I downloaded it one time when it was offered for free on Amazon and it has just sat there waiting on me to get the time to read it.
Arika Malone is a scientist, but she also see's ghosts, which has done nothing but cause problems for her. Her father was a science man, told her they were just energy, to ignore them so she tries to and never learns anything about them. One paragraph in a research paper that she mistakenly mentioned spirit energy in and the college she was teaching at all but told her that she was done. Arika was on the hunt for a new job, and fast when an odd offer came.
Zane Latimer is in charge of interviewing the people his father, Max is having brought in for this "job". He sets up in a fake boring office and waits, but Arika is not what he expected, and Zane is not what Arika expected, he is gorgeous but he seems to have no clue and is mysterious. When he hires her immediately for a two-year contract and tells her she can research all she wants, she is even more confused.
Soon Arika realizes that everyone in Tassamara is "different", she can see and talk to ghosts, a lady on the street can read aura's and no one thinks anything about this. She is so used to having to hide her ability, to treat it like a curse that she doesn't understand these people or town that treats it as normal, or as a gift.
Arika makes friends with the teen-age ghost in her rental car, then the ghosts living in her rental house and slowly she starts to come to terms with her ability, but is it not until she accompanies Zane on an abducted child case that she learns things that complete turn her beliefs upside down! Now what is she going to do?
This is a wonderful introduction to the town of Tassamara, as this is dubbed to be the first book in the series. We meet Arika and feel her confusion as she meet the people of the town, her disbelief that a place like this can exist. We get a beginning introduction to the Latimer family and their homegrown company, General Directions. Zane in the younger son, and manages the day-to-day stuff at the office. We learn bits and pieces of the rest of the family, just enough for us to anticipate each members upcoming book.
Now that I have read this first book in Tassamara, I am dying to dive into the next book! I have found that I enjoy the family dynamics of the Latimer family, the dynamics of the town of Tassamara and I just want to know more, I want to hear the stories of the people and the ghosts.
This is a great read, would make a great television series! Anyone that loves a series based on a family, paranormal or para-senses, then you should take a read.
Other Books in the Tassamara Series
A Gift of Thought
The Spirits of Christmas
A Gift of Time
A Lonely Magic
Author's webpage: www.sarahwynde.com
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Those Red High Heels
by Katherine May
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed For +Readers' Favorite
Emma is having one of those days. She wakes up to a sick puppy who has managed to explode all over her apartment, so she calls in a cleaning team and the vet which really shoots her budget in the foot. Once she arrives at work, she gets a picture message from a girlfriend of her on-again/off-again boyfriend with another woman last night. Before she can recover she is confronted by the boss, who tries to complain about her being late to take the pressure off firing her, only she stands her ground and tells him what everyone really thinks of him! Sitting in her car, her best friend Brynn calls to tell Emma that Collin has proposed and she needs her in New York. Emma needs a pick me up, she buys herself an expensive pair of red high heels! The next day she is headed to New York to help her best friend. Fate, or maybe Those Red High Heels, have a hand in the rest as life suddenly starts turning around in more ways than one for Emma. Author Katherine May creates a modern tale of a woman trying to find her place in the working world, while navigating romance and friendship, spiced with some good clothes and shoes in the mix.
Those Red High Heels turn out to be the best impulsive purchase Emma has ever made, in many more ways than she could have imagined. They become the catalyst in her work life and love life, finally things are looking her way, at least for awhile. Katherine May creates a believable tale of today's woman. It's fun and cute, it will make you laugh and cry. Great read for anyone and perfect for a relaxing get away from the daily grind kind of reading.
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Playing with Passion Theta Series Book 1
by Gayle Parness
My rating: 4.4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
The year is 2175 and so much has changed in the world as we know it. Northern America is ruled by an archdemon called The Director, his brother rules Northern Europe. There are clans of werewolves and vampires everywhere, and humans are surviving in the slums, just barely. Another class has emerged, called Thetas, they are born of two human parents and have psychic abilities, but they are controlled completely by The Director. They are grouped into troupes of actors and they perform virtual shows for their audiences, the thing is they have so many more capabilities than anyone believes, they just haven't learned them yet. Playing with Passion follows a specific Ingrid, all the lead females are called Ingrid, and her desire for something more, her desire to break free. When she is placed in the Hudson New York Troupe, where everyone actually takes care of each other she finds a place where maybe there are people willing to learn what they are capable of and break free. Author +Gayle Parness mixes romance, fantasy, science fiction, class struggle and slavery into an engaging tale.
Playing with Passion not only alludes to the idea of the troupe of actors in the book, but also that the virtual performances they create for the audience given them a passionate, euphoric feeling. It also gives a hint to the dynamics between the characters, including a forbidden romance between an actress and a stage manager. +Gayle Parness does a wonderful job drawing you into this story, building the characters and slowly letting history and background on each come out, just as in a real relationship, so that you feel you are becoming friends with them as your read. You want to help them, you understand the issues and want to see them fight but at the same time know it is dangerous. This is a wonderfully engaging read. Definitely recommend it more for the adult reader as there is some sexual scenes and some references to past sexual abuses.
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