Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Bat in the Belfry by Sarah Graves


4 STARS

A Bat in the Belfry: A Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery.

I have never read any of this series before but I would like to read more of them now.
Their are a lot of characters but does not take long to keep them straight. This book stands up by itself.

In reading the book I thought the main character was Lizzie Snow who came to town right after the murder happened. She finds a lot of the clues and is the center of things. I like the character of Lizzie Snow and would like to see more from her and her new job.
Jake and Ellie were in the book but never heard much from Ellie. I bet if I had read the other books in the series than a lot of characters mentioned just a little would fit in more.

Their is plenty of suspense and drama. I kind of guessed part of the story but not all of it. I would read more of Sarah's work in the future based on this one. It is also a clean read.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
Publication date: 4/30/2013 Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
304 pages ISBN-13: 9780345534996

Description taken off of Barnes & Noble

When it comes to home repair, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree is a fervent wielder of power drills and paint brushes. And when catching criminals, she’s been known to really bring down the hammer. But when a shocking murder rocks the small town of Eastport, Maine, Jake may be the next victim for whom the bell tolls.

It is nearly midnight when the enormous bell in the belfry of All Faith Chapel—silent for decades—booms forth, startling awake the entire town of Eastport. Upon inspection of the steeple, the police uncover the body of local teenager Karen Hansen, who had climbed the belfry’s dark, rickety stairs for a midnight rendezvous. But instead of the promise of an exciting new life, Karen meets her death.

Meanwhile, as an epic nor’easter bears down on the idyllic island town, Jake Tiptree hurries to shore up her ramshackle old house against the big blow. An amateur detective, she has sworn off chasing criminals. But when the news of Karen’s murder spreads and much of the evidence points to Jake’s likable houseguest, she and her sleuthing partner, Ellie White, get to work.

They discover an unexpected ally in newcomer Lizzie Snow, a woman from “away” who seemed to have blown into town with the nor’easter, and who also seems to know a lot about the mind of a killer. Can Jake and Ellie trust her? As a killer roams free and the townsfolk struggle against the pounding, screaming storm, the resulting tempest of gossip and suspicion rivals anything the Atlantic could brew up—and threatens to keep Jake and Ellie from putting the final nail in this cold-blooded case.

The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs


5 STARS

The Apple Orchard is a wonderful story. I really liked the characters. It draws you into Tess's life as she discovers another world she doesn't really understand, family.

Tess is a stressed out single women living in San francisco. She is a treasurer hunter. She finds people missing treasures and sells them with her firm's auction house. We meet her returning a treasure to a old lady Annelise that the Germans stole during the occupation of Denmark. Annelise did not want to sell her treasure because she last saw her mother wearing it as the German's took her away. But as Tess was getting the sugar she found some other treasures that Annelise had bought at garage sales over the years.

A banker Dominic Rossi came to her office and told her he was her grandfather's executor. Her grandfather Magnus Johansen is in the hospital in a coma. He planned to leave her half of his estate an apple orchard when he died. The other half is left to her sister.
Tess did not know she had a half sister or a grandfather. The news made her have an attack.

Tess found she had a panic disorder and she needed to change her lifestyle. Dominic flies her to meet her sister at the apple orchard.

Tess discovers about her family's past. Their are surprises that her sister Isabel did not know either. They discover the past their grandfather had during Denmark's occupation. The story unfolds little by little told in flashback to that time.

I wanted to find out all the answers as much as Tess did. Also for Tess and Isabel to work things out for them both. I hope later Isabel gets her own story.

Their is lot of talk of food in the book and the recipes for the dishes they talk about. The recipes are all over the book. I think I like it better when the recipes all are in one location. It kind of broke the story up for me personally. Plus it makes me hungry.

Tess is always in a hurry and slows down a little in the orchard.
Tess and Dominic like each other right away. Dominic has two adorable kids and a ex-wife that wants to get back together with him.
There are a few other things that keep them apart to work through.

I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
04/30/2013 PUB Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Mira 400 pages SBN9780778314936


Description below taken off of Netgalley.com

"Sometimes you stumble across a treasure when you're looking for something else entirely."


#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs brings readers to the lush abundance of Sonoma county in a novel of sisters, friendship and how memories are woven like a spell around us.

Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother's beloved necklace-despite Tess's advice. To Annelise, the jewel's value is in its memories.

But Tess's own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.

The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she's never heard of.

Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep.

And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don't believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you've not made the right kind of memories.

From one of America's most beloved writers, The Apple Orchard is a story of family ties-both old and new-and of the moments that connect our hearts.

Wind Chime Point by Sherryl Woods


4 stars

Wind Chime Point (Ocean Breeze)book 2

Wind Chime Point is so beautiful in so many ways. The scenery sounds so lovely that it makes me want to go to the beach and watch the waves. The people or cast of characters are so warm and welcoming on the most part. Gabi's family is behind her and some are pushing her one way or the other out of love.

Gabriella has always known what she wants and plans it down to a degree. She has had a strong desire to succeed and make her father proud of her. Now her life is in a mess. She realized she is pregnant, told the father and he wants no part of it,told her boss and got fired. Now she is telling her family. She has come to her Grandmother and Sand Castle Bay where she and her sisters spent every summer growing up.

Wade Johnson works with wood. Gabi's grandmother has tried to get them together. Wade realizes it and is attracted to Gabi even though he knows she has a boyfriend. Wade did some work at her cafe after the hurricane did some damage. He comes in daily for pie and a little news of Gabi. When Gabi come into the cafe to see her grandmother and surprised to see Wade. He sees she is pregnant and gets her to sit and talk to him. When he hears that the father is not in the picture, he gets Gabi to agree to go out with him to dinner & a movie as friends.

Gabi is having a hard time making up her mind what to do next. Should she give the baby up for adoption? Get in a new field of work? Ask her father for a job? She lets Wade keep distracting her from making new plans.
Gabi gets the idea that she wants to learn how to make wind chimes.

Emily her sister keeps flying into town to make wedding decisions with her family. She is happy and her fiancée is opening up a new restaurant on the west coast to be with her for now.

Samantha is wondering if she should give up being a actress. She is at a age where it is harder to get good roles. Her Grandmother is finding a guy for her too.

It is a good family to have around when things are out of control. This is a good clean read. The road of discovery that Gabi goes through as she tries to figure what to do with her future. Wade in being a sounding board and letting Gabi find her way but still let her know that he wants to be part of her future is good to see.

I can't wait to see what happens in the third book of this series. I really like Sherryl woods books.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review by Netgalley.

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA (April 30, 2013) 400 pages ISBN-10: 0778314421


Description below taken off of Netgalley.com

Facing a personal crisis, ambitious and driven Gabriella Castle retreats to the welcoming arms of her family. Everything she's worked for has been yanked out from under her, and she seeks the serenity of her grandmother's home on the North Carolina coast. With difficult decisions to make about her future, the last thing she wants is an unexpected love.�

Wade Johnson fell for Gabi the first time he saw her. It's not the only time he's found himself in the role of knight in shining armor, but Gabi isn't looking for a rescuer. To get her to stay, Wade will need a whole lot of patience and gentle persuasion...and maybe the soothing sound of wind chimes on a summer breeze.

Against the edge by Kat Martin


4 STARS

Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Canyon, #8)

I have read 4 out of the 8 books in the Raines of Wind Canyon series. This one does not disappoint in drama, suspense, action and likeable characters. It is also steamy. I admit to skipping over the sex scenes. Good plot, lots of different characters.

Claire is a social worker and she wanted to get custody of her friends son Sam after she dies but judge said no. Then Sam disappeared from his foster family home. Who did not report him missing for 2 days. Claire feels she let Sam down.

Sam is 9 years old and still grieving for his mom when he goes missing. The police think he is a runaway. The foster family believes that too. Sam thinks no one cares about him anymore. That even Claire has forgotten him. He does have a friend now a dog.

Claire disagrees with them. She thinks it is a old boyfriend of Sam's mom Laura. Who was mad that Laura left him and blames Claire for it. Claire goes to Sam's father Ben and lets him know he is a father to nine year old Sam and he is missing.

Ben is a ex-seal and now does security work with a team. They are like a family to him. Are willing to help when they can. Ben doesn't trust women after Laura let him down years ago. He only has one night stands. Now he finds out he is a father and wants to find him. Ben and Claire get close and sleep together. They agree its only for the one night. That does not last for too long.

Lots of drama and action that keeps you wanting to read. When you think it has calmed down some something else happens.
It brings back a lot of characters from previous books and lets you know how it is going for them now. Which I enjoy.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.
Expected publication: April 30th 2013 by Harlequin MIRA 400 pages ISBN 9780778314431



Description below taken off of Goodreads

A child he's never met. A danger he's never known.

Deep in the humid, rank heart of the Louisiana bayou, a survivalist group has something that belongs to former navy SEAL Ben Slocum: his son.

That he's a father is news Ben Slocum was not expecting. But once the initial shock wears off for the confirmed bachelor, he takes in the rest of what social worker Claire Chastain tells him: that Sam is in the custody of an abusive degenerate, that they've disappeared...and that Ben is now the child's only hope.

As Ben and Claire band together to track the two down, their concern for the boy draws them closer, each fighting feelings there's no time to explore. Because when their search takes them too close to Sam's abductor and his cohorts, the danger hits home-the son he's desperate to save, the woman he's desperate to love... Ben's got one chance to take back what's his, and in one gunshot he could lose it all.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Board Stiff by Kendel Lynn



4 STARS

An Elliott Lisbon Mystery (#1)

This is the first book by author Kendel Lynn that I have read but hopefully not the last. I loved Elliott Lisbon.
She is smart, funny and faints during class. She is the director of Ballantyne Foundation. She does a little of this and that.
She is working on getting her P.I. license very slowly. She is always worried about germs. Elliott, Monk and my mom would get along fine.
At a foundation party her old boyfriend Nick Ransom of 20 years ago shows up and kisses her. Then leaves with his date. The president of the board is making threats against another board member.

The day after the party Elliott goes to another board member's house to help set up for his board meeting, and finds Leo dead.
After she runs out screaming she calls the police. The police detective turns out to be Nick Ransom. His prime suspect is Jane chairman of board for the Ballantyne foundation.

Elliott's billionaire boss is out of the country calls her and asks her to help Jane and find Leo's killer. Ransom does not want Elliott to mess in his investigation at all. Everywhere Elliott goes she runs into Nick and his girlfriend.

Elliott finds out some clues, gets into a food fight, is threatened and runs from Nick and hides from him. Which is hard to do because he bought the house next door to Elliott. Her male friend that is just a friend decides after seeing her and Nick fight decides that he wants them to start dating.

The mystery keeps the suspense up. I did guess the killer right but not the reason why. The relationships between characters was good. did not want to put the book down till I had finished.

I hope their are a lot of Elliott Lisbon Mysteries to come. I was given this ebook to read and asked to give an honest review of it from Netgalley.
04/30/2013 Pub Henery Press ISBN: 9781938383328

Description Taken off Netgalley.com




As director of the Ballantyne Foundation on Sea Pine Island, SC, Elliott Lisbon scratches her detective itch by performing discreet inquiries for Foundation donors. Usually nothing more serious than retrieving a pilfered Pomeranian. Until Jane Hatting, Ballantyne board chair, is accused of murder. The Ballantyne’s reputation tanks, Jane’s headed to a jail cell, and Elliott’s sexy ex is the new lieutenant in town.



Armed with moxie and her Mini Coop, Elliott uncovers a trail of blackmail schemes, gambling debts, illicit affairs, and investment scams. But the deeper she digs to clear Jane’s name, the guiltier Jane looks. The closer she gets to the truth, the more treacherous her investigation becomes: a brutal attack on her own suspect and the murder of a witness. With victims piling up faster than shells at a clambake, Elliott realizes she’s next on the killer’s list.


Bluegrass Bachelors (Romancing America) by Jennifer Johnson



4 STARS

I have to start off with I really liked the ending. It brought a lot of smiles. This is a clean Christian Romance novel. It doesn't preach but shares a love and trust in the power of God.

The main plot is about a bet that three men make at their other friend's wedding when they were young men at age 22. They had no plans to get married and change their lives. So the bet was the last man to get married the other two men would help plan and pay for the marriage. These four men have been competing over everything. The winners were usually Drew and Nick. Wyatt and Mike were usually the losers being a little younger. They lived next door in neighboring farms to each other.

Wyatt got married first and he did not care about the bet at all. That could not be said of the others especially Nick and Drew. These characters seemed real. They were good men with faults but trying to be better and caring about others.

Maid to Love

Addy Wilson came back home after collage. She did not plan to but her Aunt Becky got hurt and needed someone to take over her job of cleaning houses for awhile. Her roommate at the same time had told a co-worker that she could move in their apartment when she needed to live. So Addy was free to move back home till Becky did not need her and she got the job she wanted.

Addy did not want to do cleaning again specially cleaning Nick's house again. Addy was always trying to hangout with the guys she had no girls friends that lived close by. As a teenager she cleaned Nick's house and she had a crush on him for years and was not afraid to show it. The last day she worked for him Nick blew his temper with her when she decorated his living room and painted one wall blue.

Nick is very competitive and he is not loosing the bet. When he finds himself starting to care about Addy he tries to push women at his friends.

Betting on Love

Drew Wilson does not like to loose at all. He is surprised that Nick and his sister got together. But he knows he can beat Mike. Mike never wins anything. Nick's cousin Melody comes to the wedding and moves in with her Aunt and Uncle.

Melody is a diesel mechanic. She hates to not be in control. She loves kids but never plans on getting married or even dating because of a bad experience.
Everyone around her keeps inviting her to church and giving thanks to God all the time. She does not believe their is someone out their that's letting all the bad things in the world happen,

Game of Love

Mike can't believe he actually won a bet and it was not the one he wanted to win. He wanted to get married and have a family too. Mike is shy. He has had a crush on Lacy for three years now he finally asks her out.

Johanna is really shy. She was home schooled so she does not know a lot of people outside of her church. Her mother is pushing her towards her good friend Gavin. Gavin's mother is doing the same thing to him. They have been friends for ever and that's all she wants. Johanna is now working at the library.

Johanna meets Mike at a wedding by bumping into him causing him to bite his lip and bleed over his tux shirt. Then they keep bumping into each other Mike is afraid the next time Johanna will have to call his parents when she sends him to emergency room.

All the main and most of the other characters are around for all three stories so it is like one big story but as they years go by they tell more depth to certain characters. I loved that sense of community. You really want to see how the characters change but stay the same too. It makes the stories well rounded. It also makes you smile at the ending.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it finished by Netgalley.
publication: May 1st 2013 by Barbour Books 352 pages ISBN: 1620297183


Description below was taken off of Netgalley.


Winning the Bet Means Losing Love

Friends Nick Martin, Drew Wilson, and Mike McCauley are betting on love—and the last man left single wins.

With Nick’s competitive, determined nature, winning should be easy. After all, he managed to pay off his land debts before he turned thirty—ahead of schedule. But Nick didn’t count on Addy Wilson returning to town. Now, with the risk of losing love, are the stakes too high?

While his friends may succumb to wedding vows, Drew is sure he won’t. And Melody Markwell only confirms his resolve. She’s hard-headed, competitive. . .too much like himself. So why does Drew suddenly feel that winning her heart is worth losing his bet?

Mike has waited for this moment for years. But now that he finally gets a chance to take the girl he’s been pining over on a date, he’s let down. Then to his annoyance, clumsy Johanna Smith keeps running into him—literally. Is this God’s way of getting his attention?

All bets are off, but will these bluegrass bachelors give in to love?

Friday, April 26, 2013

Belonging to Heaven by Gale Sears







Belonging to Heaven

Descended from the Hawaiian royal line, Jonathan Napela became one of the first—and most influential—converts to the Church in Hawaii. A man of intelligence, social status, and wealth, he used his considerable position to further the gospel in his native land. He developed a lifelong bond of brotherhood with Elder George Q. Cannon, helping to translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian and establish a gathering place for the Hawaiian saints in Laie, Oahu. But when his beloved wife, Kitty, was stricken with leprosy, Jonathan made the defining decision of his life. He would leave his life of privilege to become her caretaker and spend the rest of his life on Molokai, the island of lepers. To those who suffered similar heartbreak and banishment, Jonathan’s self-sacrifice became their lifeline. Based on true story, this is an extraordinary novel of a man who chose love in the face of death.

Author Gale Sears

Gale Sears is an award-winning author, known for her historical accuracy and intensive research. Gale received a BA in playwriting from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in theater arts from the University of Minnesota. She is the author of the bestselling The Silence of God and several other novels, including The Route, Christmas for a Dollar, Autumn Sky, Until the Dawn, and Upon the Mountains. She and her husband, George, are the parents of two children and reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.

My Review

5 STARS

I listened to the book on my kindle and it turned out to be a good thing. It would have taken me forever to read the last quarter of the book through all my tears. I cried at tender moments, happy, sad and everything in between. I was on a seesaw with my emotions. I think of my hard times and they are not hard compared to what some face in the world.

I love the notes at the bottom that tell you what is true fact and where it came from. Makes journals important and keeping letters. Also like the story I had no idea on most of it. I learned a lot and felt so much with Belonging to Heaven. I really like the phrase riding on a rainbow talking about someone who died.

These characters in the book were real people who lived, loved, suffered and made a difference in a lot of lives. With this book they continue to make a positive difference by the example they lived.

The story is a historical novel that starts August 3, 1843 in Oloalu, Maui with getting ready for the marriage of Jonathan Napela and Catherine Keliikuaaina Richardson.
Than it tells George Q Cannon being in California and getting called on a mission to the Sandwich Islands at age 23. They were prospecting gold and found a vein that was enough to pay their way and personal needs, even a little to send to Utah. It was the first of miracles that they share.

It shares how they started the mission and how they decided to teach the natives they were going to have to learn the language. That their was only 12 letters in their language. The missionaries share some of their experiences through their letters and journals. Tell about some of the trials and blessings teaching the gospel. The prayers that were answered.

Elder Cannon worked to learn the language. They figured it would take about a year to learn it. Elder Cannon with hard work received the gift of tongues he could understand a lot of what he heard before that. With their efforts to learn the language opened more doors to them. He met Jonathan and began to teach him and his wife.

Jonathan was a judge and had gone to missionary school. With him opening up his house to Elder Cannon and listening to him. He started getting threatened to loosing his judge job. His minister was preaching lies against the Mormons. Jonathan before he even decided to join the Church helped them build a little Church to preach. He also wrote letters of introductions to others for Elder Cannon. He lost his job before he joined. His wife did not join but supported him.

The people of Hawaii suffered many trials one disease came through and took around 30 percent of the people. Some where saved through the power of the priesthood but not all. The church also lost around 30 percent of their members. Just thinking about all the suffering.

The last part of the book deals with lepers and what they went through. People tried to keep their family members hidden but the government came into the homes and shipped all of those with the leprosy to a remote island. Even little children they sent by themselves. Some were allowed to go and take care of their family but not too many.

Jonathon made the choice to go with his wife and the government gave him the job of taking care of a lot of the colony. Dealing with being in charge of food, welfare. The boat they went on could not even take the long boats to shore only so close than they had to get out and swim in rough waters to shore.
Most of the people could not feel their feet and hands. Some could not swim even. Jonathan was able to organize those who could help others so none were lost before they got to shore.

How bad things were once they got to the camp. They only had fresh water aways away. Their was no law and a few took from those who could not stop them.
Jonathan and a Catholic priest Father Damien worked for years taking care and building a place for those who kept being sent there. They helped each other help those in need.

I learned so much reading this book. Felt so much. Saw how much service to others is really what Jesus showed by example. Both Jonathan and Father Damien showed their love of the Savor by giving love and service to so many. How their prayers were answered. I am glad I was able to read Belonging to Heaven.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to review it on its book tour hosted by I am a reader, Not a Writer. Also by Netgalley.
Pub Date Mar 18 2013. Shadow Mountain Publishing ISBN:9781609071592


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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Loving a Prince Charming by Danielle Monsch


4 STARS

Fairy Tales & Ever Afters , Book 3

This was a good remake of sleeping beauty. I figured out where the story was going to go early on though. There was one sex scene it could of done without. I love fairy tales.

The plot is Sleeping Beauty. Rosamund is cursed she will cut herself on a spinning wheel by her 23 birthday and fall into a deep sleep till the curse is lifted. Prince Seth at her birth was made the Princess betrothed. When Prince Seth is around 13 he meets


I like Prince Seth how honor and duty means a lot. He is prince of a neighboring Kingdom. He is willing to do a lot to keep his promise.
He also is a good friend. He admires something about his father but realizes that all is not right.

Kira is a strong woman and is willing to follow her friend Prince Seth. She has some faults which makes her human.

Rosamund you feel sorry for being kept safe in a room without windows all her life with only the King visiting with her until Prince Seth.

The two Kings are not so likeable. They are doing what they feel is right for there Kingdoms.

This is a short novel but entertaining. This is the first book I have read by Danielle Monsch but I would like to read her other stories in the fairytale series.

I was given this ebook to read by Netgalley and asked to give a honest review of it when done.

04/18/2013 PUB. Romantic Geek Publishing 90 pages ISBN:9781938593024

Description below taken off of Goodreads.

Honor and Integrity were more than words to Seth - they were the values he lived his life by. As Prince of a large kingdom, putting duty before desire was vital for the prosperity and wellness of his people. If sometimes he looked at Kira – best friend since childhood and his personal guard – and regretted his betrothal to the Princess of a neighboring kingdom, well, that was the price he had to pay for his people’s happiness.

Even if that Princess was cursed and given the nickname Sleeping Beauty.

Seth discovers the way to end the curse and, against his father’s wishes, sets off on a perilous journey to free her with Kira by his side. But Kira represents a different type of danger… Only love can break the curse, but how can Seth keep his promise to protect Sleeping Beauty when every moment with Kira makes his heart damn duty and demand its desire?

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Marshall's Hostage by Delores Fossen


4 STARS
The Marshall's Hostage is book one of The Marshals of Maverick County series
Marshall Kirby took in foster boys and they all became marshalls too. The boys were at a group home where the manager used to beat the kids. Kirby was trying to get it closed down. He wanted to get some of the boys into his care and might have cut corners. The manager ended going missing for years. Now his body was found.

Joelle Tate was sent in by the Governor to investigate the murder. She used to live there too. Now on her wedding day U.S. Marshall Dallas Walker shows up and wants to talk to her right before her wedding to Owen. Owen was in the same home with them. Dallas wants
to ask her about the report she is sending in, especially about Kirby's part in it.

Joelle and Dallas were a couple in their teens, till Joelle broke it off. She refused to see him after he left with Kirby and she got put in a good foster home. Joelle was keeping secrets from Dallas.
She wanted Dallas to leave before Owen arrived. If he did not leave it would ruin everything. All she was hoping to do to protect him.

Joelle started to act weird. Someone had drugged her. Dallas got her out of the Church when she would not let him call 911 for her. He took her out into the woods to get to his brothers cabin and four wheeler that he had. Before he could get them out of their gunmen appeared and wanted to escort Joelle back to the church so she can get married. They told her if she does not come with them then Owen will let Dallas know her secret.
They shoot out the tires of the four wheeler.

While they are on the run Joelle tells Dallas that Owen has a knife with his prints on it and Webb's blood. Also it was wrapped in a hanky of Kirby's. She was trying to protect Dallas. Owen said if she married him he would not turn it in.

The suspense is good, kept me guessing till the end. Lots of drama and action. Things would calm down and then something else would happen. Their are some secrets still. I want to see what happens next in this series.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review when finished by Netgalley.
Publisher: Harlequin (April 23, 2013) Harlequin Intrigue Series 224 pages ISBN-10: 0373696868
Discription below taken off of goodreads

SECRETS HAD TORN THEM APART...AND REUNITED THEM IN A WAY NEITHER HAD EXPECTED She Is the last person Dallas Walker ever wants to see again. Still, this U.S. Marshal has no problem taking Joelle Tate into "protective custody"-on her wedding day. To save his family from unjust charges, he'd take on a lot worse than an ex-flame he couldn't trust. But Dallas doesn't know Joelle has put her freedom on the line to protect him. Now with only two days to investigate a long-buried crime no one wants solved, they must confront their past mistakes, and the shattering secret that drove them apart. Giving in to the simmering desire may lead to an impossible second chance-or help set a trap one calculating killer can't wait to spring....

A Weaver Vow by Allison Leigh


4 STARS
In Weaver Vow Isabella Lockhart has left everything she knows for the sake of her late fiance's little boy Murphy. Murphy was getting into so much trouble back in New York. So she got permission to take him and move to Wyoming. Murphy has so much anger in him after his dad died.

Isabella is working at a cafe and teaching dance lessons to make ends meet. Isabella was raised in foster care and does not want the same thing for Murphy. She used to do costumes for balet the same company as her new boss Lucy.

Isabella heard yelling outside while she was closing the cafe, when she recognized Murphy's voice she ran. She found Murphy with his bat beside a man who was angry. A broken stain glass window in the back of the truck from a baseball.

Erik wants to take him to sheriff to teach him a lesson. Erik is a single man with his own ranch.
He makes a deal with Isabella and Murphy. Murphy comes out on sat. to his ranch and he can work the rest of the school year and summer to pay for it. It would not even make a dent on the cost of the window that Erik was donating to the church in town.

Erik who was given the stainglass window by a girlfriend who was getting to serious they broke up. He was not ready for marriage he said. Now he could see himself with Isabella.

Isabella was not ready to date. Either was Murphy ready for her to date either. Isabella was still waiting to see if her having custody of Murphy will be granted. He needed to be stable and not get into trouble for awhile.

I like Erik's family and would love go back to earlier books and see more of thier stories sometime. They are so welcoming to Isabella and Murphy. Everyone calls her Erik's girl and she keeps telling them she is not. Most of Erik's female relatives are in Isabella yoga class. The dance studio she works in is owned by Erik's cousin Lucy. Isabella does not know for the longest time is the cafe she works in is actually owned by Erik and his brother.

It is nice to see that while Erik realizes right away that he wanted to date Isabella his treatment of Murphy is seperate from any relationship he wants with her. Erik is trying to be a good role modle and teach him the way a man should be raised.

I like the town of Weaver and would love to come back and read about the people again.
I was given this ebook to read and asked in exchange to give it a honest review by Netgalley
04/23/2013 Pub Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Special Edition 224 pages ISBN:0373657390


Description below taken off of Netgalley.com

CITY GIRL SEEKS…
When Isabella Lockhart leaves New York for Weaver, Wyoming, she’s keeping a vow—to provide a loving home for her late fianc�’s little boy away from the bad influences of the big city. But trouble is this kid’s middle name, and right away his antics put Isabella on a collision course with handsome rancher Erik Clay.

…SMALL-TOWN HERO
Not that that’s a bad thing! The real problem for Erik is the instant attraction he feels for this beautiful Big Apple transplant. The sworn bachelor just doesn’t want to go there. But pretty soon, Erik realizes that he has a vow of his own to keep—to make this wounded woman whole again, starting with her heart….

Johanna's Bridegroom by Emma Miller



4 STARS

Johanna's Bridegroom was entertaining. Johanna proposed to Roland her widower neighbor next door and he said no. Not without love. Then Roland begins to court her again but she is not sure she wants to remarry. Which I find funny.

Johanna is a widow with a 5 year old boy and a 3 year old little girl. She had a bad first marriage and left her husband. Their is no divorce in their community. She keeps bees,quilts to support her family. She lives with her mother a widow herself who never remarried.

Roland hurt Johanna when they were teens and courting each other. After Johanna got married his parents arranged a wedding for him. His wife died carrying twins. He still had feelings for Johanna and hoped they could be a couple. But he wanted love no second arrangement.

I like the characters and was interested in their lives. You could tell that their were other stories with these families and I would not mind going back and reading them.

This is a clean read. It deals a lot with how the Amish believe that widows and widowers should remarry for the children and community. I would have had a hard time if I was told I should remarry for my girls sake.

The children are really cute and charming in this story. I can understand Johanna wanting a new baby and missing it when her children were getting older.

I have read a couple of Emma Miller's books and would love to read more of them in the future. Her settings wanted to make me go to the beach,eat good food and enjoy rainy day picnics.

I was given this ebook to read and in exchange to give honest review of it by Netgalley.com

04/23/2013 PUB Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Love Inspired ISBN9780373878123


Description below taken off of Netgalley

Will You Marry Me?
Bold widow Johanna Yoder stuns Roland Byler when she asks him to be her husband. To Johanna, it seems very sensible that they marry. She has two children, he has a son. Why shouldn't their families become one? But the widower has never forgotten his long-ago love for her; it was his foolish mistake that split them apart. This could be a fresh start for both of them. Until she reveals she wants a marriage of convenience only. It's up to Roland to woo the stubborn Johanna and convince her to accept him as her groom in her home and in her heart.

Hannah's Daughters: Seeking love, family and faith in Amish country.

Trying to Score (The Assassins Serie's book 2) by Toni Aleo


3 STARS

Trying to Score was first published as a Loveswept book. I liked the plot, the characters, the new ones and the old ones in the series. I hated all the swear words and the sex scenes it was worse in book 2 for me. I admit to skipping over a lot of scenes.

Fallon Parker's dream of tying her family wines with the Assassin's Hockey team is coming together. She just finds out that their is a new player being traded to the team Lucas Brooks. Fallon realizes that her world is coming crashing down on her.

Lucas was her lover until she got him in bed with her roommate. She kicked him out and then moved back to her hometown. She never told him that she was pregnant with Aiden. How was she going to tell him now. He broke her heart. Has not let anyone else in. Her dad got off her funds and wanted her to have abortion. She refused with the help of her sister Audrey. She finished collage and is raising her son.

Lucas is new to the Assassins team. He wants to win the Stanely Cup. Also wants to see if he can get Fallon back, if she is single. He loved her and he messed up badly with her. Lucas had his that he was drinking too much and taking pills at the same time. After she left him he got worse for two years before he cleaned himself up. He has been clean for 5 years now. Lucas also has another secret but Fallon knows it. He can't read. Levi his business manager and best friend travels and lives with him takes care of any reading.

Lucas has a reading problem of seeing words backwards and mixed up it takes so long for him to read anything he doesn't even try anymore.

This novel deals with some real issues like learning disabilities, alcoholic and drug abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse. While telling a good story. I wanted things to work out for Fallon and Lucas. I hope Audrey gets her own happily ever after too.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it from Netgalley.
04/23/2013 PUB Random House Publishing Group Loveswept 478 pages ISBN: 9781105659416

Description below taken off of Netgalley.


In a captivating novel of second chances and healing hearts, the newest member of the Nashville Assassins pulls a power play to make things right with the one that got away.

Fallon Parker’s dream has always been to turn her family’s wine company into a runaway success and eventually start a cellar of her own. Since graduating from college, she has worked relentlessly to make that dream a reality, especially after taking a chance on love—and losing. By the time Fallon becomes an official sponsor of the Nashville Assassins, she feels like all her hard work is finally paying off. And then the man who broke her heart skates back into her life.



Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, and Blue Lines. When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel. She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog.


On the ice, Lucas Brooks is the NHL’s leading scorer—at least when he’s not in the box. Off the ice, he’s a mess, with all his anger and misery bottled up inside. He threw away the most important person in his life and has regretted it ever since. But when Lucas returns to Nashville in a trade, he’s determined to convince Fallon that he’s a changed man. The attraction is still there. The tension is electrifying. But the odds are stacked against them—especially after Lucas finds out that Fallon has been keeping a devastating secret.

Taking Shots (Assassins #1) by Toni Aleo


3 STARS
Taking Shots was first published as a loveswept novel. It is a nice story but very hot. Lots of love scenes, swear words.
I like the plot. I like the characters.

The plot is Elli is the new Assassins hockey team photographer. She is very shy and low self confidence. During the teams photo shoot she meets Shea Adler team captain.

Elli has her own business and right now she is a hot. She has great friends, Her dad and Uncle are close to her. The rest of her family is terrible. Eleanor is sweet and nice. She had a bad break up six years ago that she is still dealing with and some health issues.

Shea is a hockey star for the Assassins. He usually has one night stands with barbi dolls. He likes Elli from first meeting her. He has new contacts and ends up taking them out because his eyes are watering. He ends up running into things. Shea realizes that she is different.

Shea has his twin Grace call her and get her to come to his party and be photographer that same week so he can meet her again. Shea is good looking, has beautiful eyes, money and fame. He is really close to his sister. Every time he has been traded she comes with him. If he gets traded again this time will be different now she is married with two kids.

The secondary characters are great in this story. From her best friend who does not do relationships till now. Shea team mate who wants everything home, family. Too his nephew Ryan who calls him Unky.
They enrich the story so well. Their are characters that you want to hate too.

The only things I did not like was the love scenes in details and swear words. I admit I am going to read her next book in the Assassin's series next.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.
04/23/2013 PUB Random House Publishing Group Loveswept 478 pages ISBN9781105568770



Description below taken off of Goodreads.

In Toni Aleo’s exhilarating debut, the first in a series featuring the hockey hunks of the Nashville Assassins, a reformed bad boy helps a charming, willful woman face off against the demons of her past.

No matter how hard she tries, Eleanor Fisher never thinks she’s good enough, from her job to her weight to her love life. After enduring years of abuse at the hands of an ex-boyfriend, Elli has been drifting through life in a daze. Until, that is, she meets Shea Adler on a promotional shoot for the NHL’s Nashville Assassins. Before Elli knows what’s happening, the gorgeous Shea breaks the ice and shatters her world.

A brilliant athlete inside the rink, Shea Adler is tired of the life he’s living outside of it: the girls, the money, the drinking. But everything changes when he meets Elli. After laying eyes on this feisty, witty, beautiful woman, he feels like he’s just taken the hardest hit of his life. No matter how skeptical she is, Shea knows they are meant to be together—if only he can convince Elli to put her insecurities aside throw her insecurities out the window before she misses out on a shot at love.

The Hidden Deep by Christa J. Kinde


4 STARS

The Hidden Deep is book 2 in The Threshold series.

This is a series that leaves you wanting to read the next book now. Which was okay yesterday when I read The Blue Door because I could start the Hidden Deep. Now I want to read The First Snow and I don't know when it will come out.

I like the angels in the book. The different kind and different personalities. It would bring me smiles if I had a angel playing with my pony tale. Prissie is in a bad mood when she gets to hangout with the tiny angel. No one else can see the angels at least most of them.

No one knows why Prissie is able to see and hangout with the angels. She is surprised when she finds out who is another angel is disguise as a teenager. The ending mystery was revealed and it was something I figured out real early in the story.

Prissie still is bothered by Ransome working with her father. She does not trust him or like him. She keeps treating him wrongly and it causes more problems. Her best friends are still choosing to hangout with the new girl over hangingout with her.

Koji and Prissie have all the same classes and are always together or most of the time. Still no one else in her family know Koji is really a angel. They do notice that he is different than other teenagers.

Prissie meets more angels and they come out to the farm to hangout. The angels are still looking for the missing angel. They are still fighting demons.

This has lots of action,drama,teenager problems,angels and life lessons. I liked it and plan to read more of Christa J. Kinde in the future.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it when I finsh by Netgalley.


Description below taken off of Netgalley.

Homework, football, apple pies, and ... angels? Harvest time is in full swing when Prissie Pomeroy learns that something terrible happened in her family's orchard---making it hard to focus on school, especially when her best friends are distant and Ransom won't leave her alone. As she meets other angels. Prissie is drawn increasingly deeper into their world and closer to its dangers. A kidnapped apprentice suffers. A chained door bodes ill. A tiny angel makes a big difference. A battle line is drawn. Everything Prissie thought she knew is about to change ... again! 'He was trembling, which frightened Prissie even more than the pitch black. Crouching down, she made herself as small as possible against the tunnel wall. From somewhere in the darkness ahead came a sour note, off-key and unpleasant. She held her breath, listening with all her might. A dull clink was followed by a crunching sound that reminded Prissie uneasily of a barn cat eating a mouse. She cupped her hand around her little passenger and curled more tightly, hiding her face on her knees as her heart sent up a silent plea for help.' -from The Hidden Deep Praise for The Blue Door A fantasy with a wholesome message and down-on-the-farm twist. -Kirkus

Monday, April 22, 2013

Operation Reunion (Cutter's Code #2) by Justine Davis



3 STARS

This is second Cutter's code book. Cutter steals the story again. This is the third Cutter's Code story that I have read. It's my least favorite story of the three. It is still a good story but not as good as the other two. I just did not connect with Kayla and the others. Also had some love scenes that I skipped over.

Kayla when she was sixteen her parents were robbed and murdered in their own home. The police think her brother did it. She has spent the past 10 years looking for her brother after he took off after the murder. She gets postcards every once in awhile saying he was okay and was innocent. She has also been in love with Dane for that long of time.

Dane lived next door to Kayla since she moved in when she was 14. They were both smart and became good friends. After her parents were killed they even got closer. They were almost always living together. He just broke off their relationship. He could not handle being second to her brother anymore. She always chooses Chad over him. He still loves her though.

Cutter brings her to Quinn at the post office after she received another post card. Hayley and Quinn tell her that they can help what ever the problem is. They promise to help her find her brother, but warn her she might not like what they find about her parents murders.

Dane is afraid they might be after her money to look for chad. He checks them out and tells Hayley that he will be there for one more try if she will give up after this and try and work better to be their for each other. Dane does not like Hayley's brother and now he thinks he did kill them.

Lots of emotional problems between Hayley and Dane. Some suspense, lots of drama. Cutter steals the show again. (he is a dog who is smart, and knows who needs his help.)

I bought this on amazon because I really liked the two other Cutter's code books that I have read. I will look for more Cutter Code's books in the future.
Publisher: Harlequin (February 19, 2013) 288 pages

Description below taken off of Goodreads.

I thought you were through with me."What does the dog know? When Kayla meets Cutter, the big, brown Belgian, she's at a crossroads. She's certain she's about to clear her brother of her parents' murder. But Dane, her longtime love, is just as sure that she's wasting her life. One man needs her. The other, apparently, doesn't… Although it breaks her heart, the choice is made.

Only, Dane Burdette isn't going anywhere. As loyal as that dog, he still loves the beautiful girl next door, even if her life has been derailed. And when danger comes back to their small town, he knows she—and their love—is at risk. Kayla has made her quest her life. Neither Dane nor Cutter will let it take her life, too

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Operation Midnight by Justine Davis



4 STARS
Cutter's Code book 1

I had read Operation blind Date which is a Cutter's Code book 3 I believe. I enjoyed it and wanted to read more of the Cutter code series so I bought the first book of the series. I was not disappointed in it and still would love to read more. I know that their is at least one other out their that I can read right away.

The suspense of who or what Quinn is for me not their because I read book 3 first. I like the plot. The characters. I really like Cutter he is a dog. A very smart dog.

Cutter chased into the woods and Hayley chased after him. He had been uneasy since a helicopter flew over her home awhile ago. Hayley and Cutter were now on her neighbor's property and she sees the helicopter with no markings on it. She has only seen her neighbor twice before. She see's him being guided out of his house into the chopper by a guy wearing a gun. Then a third man comes out and Cutter runs up to him like a lost friend.

Quinn takes out his gun and Hayley runs out to save her dog. Cutter won't come to her and she tries to leave and hopes he comes with her. Quinn picks up Hayley and sticks her into the helicopter and than picks up her dog too. Then gets in and the helicopter lifts up.

Quinn makes it clear that if she won't behave the dog will go out of the chopper. They fly for hours than refuel and take off for more hours. Hayley has no idea where they are or why. They finally stop at a run down cabin all by itself. Their are four guards and her neighbor. She is not allowed to talk to her neighbor. More threats against Cutter for her to behave.

Cutter gets to go out for patrols and gains the men's respect. He warns Rafe about a rattlesnake he almost steps on. He also finds old paw prints of a big animal. No one can sneak up on them with Cutter around.

Lots of action, drama pretty clean read. Their is one love scene but not graphic. So now I have read two of this series it will be one I will look forward to reading again.
Publisher: Harlequin Romantic Suspense (March 1, 2012) 217 pages ISBN: 0373277652

Description below taken off of Amazon.

Being spirited away—with her dog, Cutter—by armed men in a black helicopter is the last thing Hayley Cole ever expects. And why is her usually savvy dog so friendly toward their lean, dark-haired leader? She's determined to escape. Unfortunately, Quinn with his intense, searching gaze is always three steps ahead—and much, much too close….

For Quinn Foxworth, control equals safety. Taking Hayley is the only way his undercover witness-protection team can protect her and their client. But convincing her he's one of the good guys is easier than guarding himself from her innocent courage. And with danger closing in, can he risk letting Hayley into his heart for good?

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Swordfights & Lullabies (A Modern Witch Morsel) by Debora Geary

4 STARS

It was a nice surprise to receive this in my email today. I enjoyed this morsel. I wanted it to be longer though.
If you have not read the series this book would be confusing. But if you have read a Celtic Witch it is good read.It
lets you see how the tour is going and see how much of a family they have become. It also leaves you wanting to read more
books in the A Modern Witch series.
I think this makes a Celtic Witch ending so much better and richer.
I love Debora Geary books. I am usually waiting impatiently for the next book. If you have not read Modern Witch I would
highly recommend the series. It is a clean read.
I was given this short novella to read and asked to review by author.
Publisher: Fireweed Publishing (April 19, 2013) 301kb file size

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Portrait of a Dead Guy (A Cherry Tucker Mystery) by Larissa Reinhart


4 STARS

Portrait of a Dead Guy is funny, creepy, southern mystery. It was also enjoyable clean read that kept you guessing what would happen next.
Cherry Tucker is an artist in a small town having a hard time making a living. She is small. The center of a lot of gossip that she does not help at all with her actions. When she hears that the Branson's family wants a portrait of their son for the funeral service, She heads right over to get the job. They are planning to use a member of their own family do the art. Cherry convinces them to give her a chance. She is not to fond of the murdered guy.

That night she decides in the middle of the night to go to the funeral home and start the portrait. She is by herself having let herself in with a key. While she is getting ideas of how she wants to do the picture of Dustin. She is attacked and knocked on the head. The casket is off balance and her coke is spilled all over. Her paint supplies are ruined.

The Sheriff their family friend Uncle Will threatens to arrest her. More rumors spread around the town about her robbing the corpse. The funeral home is not pressing charges.

Dustin's stepbrother Luke just got out of the service and back home, but not to stay. He used to be her boyfriend and she is still mad at him and finds him still hot.

Cherry got married in Las Vegas to Todd who won the trip to play poker. He tells one version of what happened their and Cherry is not telling all the details about it. Everyone is talking about what they did do. Todd is also the drummer in a band and plays the dumb blond who is really good at poker.

Cherry wants to get the Portrait and have the family buy the painting. She is also trying to figure out who attacked her and is robbing everywhere Dustin might have hid something. Everyone tells her to stop asking questions about what Dustin was up too. Also to stop working on the portrait.

Their are some funny scenes especially the comedy of errors at the funeral. I like Cherry and her family. This is small southern town with lots of interesting characters. I would like to see what Cherry gets into next time.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.

Publisher: Henery Press; First edition (August 23, 2012) 280 pages ASIN: B0091X7NGQ

Description below taken off of Goodreads.

In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival.

As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

Should never start a book at midnight! Especially one by Susan Sleeman


4 STARS

Dead Wrong (The Justice Agency) by Susan Sleeman

Last night I finished reading the newest Justice Agency book No Way Out. I realized that their was a Justice Agency book I had not read. So around midnight I ordered Dead Wrong and was just going to read a chapter or two. Finally around three I could not keep my eyes open any longer and first thing this am I finished reading it. I enjoyed it and had a hard time laying it down.

The plot was full of drama and action. You did not realize who or why the murder had happen. Now who was trying to kill Kat.
This is a clean read too.

The Justice family of three brothers and two sisters all took after their adoptive father who was a cop. They went into different branches of law enforcement. When their parents were murdered and the killers were not found, They all quit their jobs to come back home and search for their killers. They worked together so well they decided to go into the P.I. business together.

Kat used to be a local cop. She called her ex-partner Tommy to meet her at a client's house. The door was open so Kat went in and found Nancy's dead body. The killer was still their. He was able to tie Kat up and was getting ready to Kill her with drug overdose when Mitch arrived at the house.

Kat when she was a rookie cop had a crush on Mitch. Mitch was hit on a lot and did not date co-workers anymore. Mitch and Tommy are partners now. When Tommy could not meet Kat, Mitch went instead. He saw that the house was dark and called Kat. He could hear the phone from inside the house ring. Kat screamed and Mitch went in and the killer got away.

So Kit, Mitch and Tommy were going to work together to keep Kat safe, find Nancy's killer and maybe Nancy's brother's killer. Which is why Nancy hired the Justice Agency in the first place. Kat did not want her family involved and being in the line of fire.

I liked the book a lot and look forward too reading the last two books of the series in the future.
Published October 30th 2012 by Love Inspired Harlequin 288 pages

Description below taken off of Goodreads.


When her client and old college friend is murdered, P.I. Kat Justice knows the killer will come for her next. Her survival depends on finding her unknown enemy first…hand working with homicide detective Mitch Elliot, her onetime crush. It'll take all her professional skills to ignore the sparks between them, but Kat can't allow the handsome cop to get close. She's seen too many people she loves die, so she vows just to do her job without getting emotionally involved. Yet keeping her distance may not be the best way to protect her heart—or their lives.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Message on the Quilt (The Quilt Chronicles #3) by Stephanie Grace Whitson


4 STARS

This is the third book in the Quilt Chronicles. I have now read 2 out of 3 books and have enjoyed both. Now I want to go back and read the first of the series. The Message on the Quilt was a good story. I liked it and the little twists in the story. Some I could see coming and others not so much. It does have a lot of scriptures, faith and prayer in the story but it all fits great into the story. It shows a slice of life in 1890. Some good, some of it bad. It is a uplifting novel.

The characters where a wide arrange. You had a actress that is aging and down on her luck. Who changes with help of friends she just met. She studies how to play different roles and costumes to change who she wants to be.

Emilie writes for her father's newspaper the woman's page of events. She wants more. Her father and mother want her to stop so he fires her. Emilie has an idea for a series of articles and she decides to go out in the middle of the night to get the work her mother wants her to do so she might have A chance to do articles. While she is their she finds a snake in her family cabin and screams.

Noah is a famous speaker and is out on the stage practicing his speech. He thinks he is all alone and hears a scream. He runs to the aid and finds Emilie. He takes the snake away and escorts her back home. Noah has been alone since his mother died when he was thirteen. He has a lot of faith and quotes the bible, poets, declaration of Independence and Shakespear. He really likes Emilie and her three cousins and her friend Bert.

Noah helps her with her story idea and after her father turns her down without even reading her first article, he comforts her and asks her what she wants. Emilie decides with his help to turn the article into the other newspaper under a fake name. She is happy to see it published.

The supporting characters are interesting and I want to know what happens to them next. What will the Spring sisters do next? What does Grace decide to do. I really thought they helped enrich the story so well.

I know I will be on the lookout for more books by Stephanie Grace Whitson in the future. I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.
Published April 1st 2013 by Barbour Books 320 pages ISBN:1616264438

Description below taken off of Goodreads.

Return to historic Nebraska for the stunning conclusion to The Quilt Chronicles. When Emilie Rhodes convinces her newspaper editor father to assign her to interview the speakers at the 1890 Chautauqua series, she meets and falls in love with “The Man of Many Voices.” But Noah Shaw’s professional life is only one reason he’s in Nebraska. Noah is on a quest to find answers. . .but will a treasured quilt bear a message of brokenness—or hope and healing?

Friday, April 12, 2013

Cropped to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery #1) by Christina Freeburn



4 STARS

Reading Cropped to Death might make you want to get the scrapbooks out. I enjoyed reading about Faith Hunter trying to help her friend. This is a mystery that keeps you guessing right till the ending. It is also a clean read.

The plot idea is simple. Marilyn found her husband had been cheating on her and got the other woman pregnant. She started to crop his picture out of all the family photos. She was also threatening him. He is murdered and police think she did. Marilyn was arrested and asked Faith to prove her innocence.

Faith only worked in the office of Jag. Typing in the office. Faith was arrested once for something her husband did. She has kept her past a secret, even her grandmothers.

Detective Ted Roget warns her to stay out of his case. He really is about ready to arrest her a few times. He keeps telling her time after a time.

Faith grandmother's keep throwing neighbor and prosecuting attorney Steve at her. They like him for her. Steve keeps telling her to let the police do their job.

Faith believes Marilyn is innocent and she wants to help her. The scrapbook shop is hurting for business too.

I would like to see another Faith Hunter Scrap this Mystery novel. It was fun, suspenseful and lots of scrapbooking talking on top of the mystery. Plus I want to see what happens next in Faith's life.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.

11/20/2013 PUB. Henery Press 290 pages ISBN; 1938383060



Description below taken off of Goodreads.

Former US Army JAG specialist, Faith Hunter, returns to her West Virginia home to work in her grandmothers' scrapbooking store determined to lead an unassuming life after her adventure abroad turned disaster. But her quiet life unravels when her friend is charged with murder – and Faith inadvertently supplied the evidence.

So Faith decides to cut through the scrap and piece together what really happened. With a sexy prosecutor, a determined homicide detective, a handful of sticky suspects and a crop contest gone bad, Faith quickly realizes if she’s not careful, she’ll be the next one cropped.

Air Keep (Farworld #3) by J. Scott Savage


4 STARS

Air Keep is book 3 in Farworld series. I admit I have not read the first two books in the series. That could have influenced my decision to only give it 4 stars. It did give a pretty good overall of what happened in first two books of the series.

The plot in some ways is simple and others complex. Master Therapass found the baby Marcus that had a marking on the shoulder badly wounded and sent him to Earth to be raised by Monks. To balance things he had to bring a baby girl Kyja from Earth and raise her.
No one realized what he had done. The two children are supposed to save theirs worlds some how.

Their are evil black circle who don't want the worlds saved. They thought they destroyed Marcus as a baby to stop him.

Marcus and Kyja lives are intertwined. They need to build portal that will bridge the two worlds. It is dangerous to do. They need to get the four elementals to work together to do it. They never work together. In the first two books they got land and water to agree to help. Now they need to find the air elementals keep and convince them to help. No one knows where the air keep is.

Marcus has found that he can do magic. He lives with Monks on Earth. He is stuck in a wheel chair on Earth. He has a strange marking on his shoulder. He found out in first books that he was born on Farworld. He is supposed to save it. A lot of pressure for a teenager.

Kyja lives on Farworld. A land that every creature and person can do magic except her. She did not know why she was different from anyone else on Farworld. Kyja in the first book found she has one magic she can pull Marcus through the shadow land into Farworld. But he can only stay three days. Kyja is a fighter. She is supposed to save Earth but she can only be their three days too.

Their are many strange and different creatures on Farworld. This book deals with time travel. Which gets a little confusing at times.
Also deals with trust and working together to help others. Lots of drama, action, fantasy and friends. I liked it but now I want to read the first two books and the next and not have to wait.

If you have been waiting to read Air Keep I am sure you won't be disappointed in it. This is a very clean book.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.

Published February 26th 2013 by Shadow Mountain 336 pages ISBN: 1609073258


Description below taken off of Goodreads.

It’s been six months since Marcus and Kyja obtained the help of the land and water elementals, but before they can secure the help from the mysterious air elementals, the two friends must first be reunited. A task easier said than done.

Master Therapass is worried that trying to pull Marcus to Farworld would put him in danger of the shadow realm, but if Marcus stays on Earth, he’ll be sent back to the Philo T. Justice School for Boys instead of being able to stay on the protected grounds of the monastery.

While attempting to return to Farworld, Marcus finds himself in the Abyss of Time, facing four doors: the Is, the Was, the Will Be, and the Never Was. What he learns in that dangerous place has the potential to change his life—and Kyja’s. But does he have the courage to tell her what he learned?

And in Farworld, a drought, floods, and blizzards have seized the land, hinting that perhaps there is a traitor in the elementals’ midst. The Dark Circle is growing in power, and as Marcus and Kyja desperately search for the air elementals, they must first answer the question “Is there anyone we can trust?”

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Buyer, Beware (Style & Error Mystery series book 2) by Diane Vallere



4 STARS

Buyer, Beware is a fun murder mystery. It made me laugh as Samantha was jumping around from one suspect to another. You were never sure who to trust. It was a clean read. The plot had some nice surprises in it. I enjoyed Samantha's character and her friends. This is book 2 and I did not read the first book. I would like to read it now.

Samantha was a shoe buyer in New York City. She moved back to her home town because she wanted a different life style. She bought her family home when her parents decided to sell it and move to warmer climate. Her last job did not work out after she found a dead body at work. Her boyfriend is a shoe designer who is in Italy for sometime.

A new store is moving into town and is offering a contest of a heist. The person who can steal one of four items around town and bring it to Heist on a certain night will win 10,000.00. Samantha needs the money so she got a friend that she worked with Eddie to help her. Eddie brought two others into the plan Cat and her brother Dante. It took them a week to make the plan and steal the statue at the collage.

The night at the party where they were having champagne at Heist. Samantha wandered off and was looking at the handbags when she spotted a dead body. Emily who was Heist's handbag buyer.
The murder weapon was their copy of the statue. She told the cops why she had the statue in her purse the one they stole.

Later that night the owner of Heist Tony Sims offered her the Emily's job as a handbag buyer. Also if she could find out who killed Emily. She got company credit card in fact he already had it with her I.D. card already made for her. She was to start right away.

She went to the police homicide detective and told him what she was doing. She wanted to work with them to help the case.

Samantha idea of fashion was different to wear for her detecting she wore a trench coat in bright Pink. Talked like she was in old detective movie. No one new what she was up too except the cop and her boyfriend in Italy. She did not really trust her new boss that much.

Her team that planned the heist she did not tell and they were really suspicious of her starting to work for Heist.
I will lookout for other books that Diane Vallere has written based on this book. It kept my attention.

03/05/2013 PUB Polyester Press 256 PAGES ISBN:9781939197016

Description below taken off of Netgalley.

Out-of-work fashion expert Samantha Kidd is strapped. But when the buyer of handbags for a hot new retailer turns up dead and Samantha is recruited for the job, the opportunity comes with a caveat: she’s expected to find some answers. The police name a suspect but the label doesn’t fit. Samantha turns to a sexy stranger for help, but as the walls close around her like a snug satin lining, she must get a handle on the suspects, or risk being caught in the killer’s clutches.

Trouble's On the Menu: A Tippy Canoe Romp-With Recipes


4 STARS

Trouble's On the Menu: A Tippy Canoe Romp-With Recipes by Caleb Warnock and Betsy Schow

I did not know what to expect of this novel by reading just the blurb. It was filled with humor ,art, food and a mystery.
It was also filled with big time governor against small town mayor. I laughed a lot. It is also a clean read with lots of recipes in the back. Warning this book makes you hungry.

It starts off with Hallie coming into Barefoot, Montana in a snow storm and hits a women driving a scooter. Andrea the owner of the weekly newspaper. Hallie just wanted to come to town do her business and get back to California. Hallie is a artist. She is in town to settle her late husband estate. He left her everything even though they have been separated for eight years.

Hallie is hungry but before she can get served her food she is kicked out of the restaurant because of the accident. The next day
she finds out that she is the landlord of three different businesses that her late husband was paid in hay and ice cream shakes.
It will not be easy to sell the businesses and she does not want to stay away from her art studio.

Marc Greathouse is the mayor. He is a widower with no children. He was laid off work when the mine closed down. His family has a christmas tree farm that unless he raises 35,000 will be auctioned off for unpaid taxes. Marc makes some bad decisions that he regrets. Then he finds out the Governor is coming town to announce he is closing their school and busing their kids to a hour away to different school district. Their town is going to fight it. Starting with the Mayor slugging the Governor and being arrested by his own father.

I was totally entertained by reading Trouble's on the Menu. I hope they have another Tippy Canoe adventure. The characters are different. They have their own personality. I like Hallie. Also like how the town helps take care of its own. Hallie makes some good friends and gets involved with the towns problems.

I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.

publication: April 9th 2013 by Sweetwater Books Cedar Fort Publishing 240 pages ISBN: 1462110932


Description below taken off of Netgalley.com

After her estranged husband’s unexpected death, Hallie goes to Barefoot, Montana, to wrap up his estate. Her arrival begins awkwardly as she nearly runs over the town gossip during a snowstorm. Fortunately, the single, attractive town mayor is willing to lend her a hand to get her affairs in order. But when his life starts to spiral out of control, Hallie must decide whether he’s worth sticking around for.

Music of Ghosts by Sallie Bissell



4 STARS

Music of Ghosts (Mary Crow, book 5)

This is my first Mary Crow novel that I have read. The characters are well defined and I had no idea of where the story was going in her personal and professional life. The drama was going till the end. Some of it I did not like but hopefully thier will be another book out soon. The Suspense held up for me. I did not guess who the murder was or how.

Once I started reading I did not put the book down till it was done. I liked the story and look forward to reading more Mary Crow stories in the future.


Mary Crow is a lawyer, who helped her county get a sports park built. Mary was at the grand opening ceramony and she was worried that her family did not come for it. They did. Mary lives with her boyfriend Jonathon Walkingstick and his nine year old daughter. They have been together for years. This past month since they got back from a month visit with his daughter's grandparents at court order visit they both had changed toward her. Mary is afraid Jonathon has found someone else while he was gone.

The day before the sports park opened a bunch of collage interns at raptor rehab center went up to camp at a old haunted house back in the country. One of the girls was then murdered up thier.

The Sherrif went up to the murder scene instead of welcoming the Governor of North Carolina for the ribbon ceramony. He found out that Lisa was killed and had carvings all over her body. Lisa was also a daughter of a former North Carolina Governor. He now had a high profile case on his hands.

Mary Crow no longer did murder cases because Jonathon had asked her not to while his daughter lived at home. When things were falling apart in her personal life Nick Stratton asked her to represent him. She took the case.

Mary unraveled it piece by piece while waiting for her own personal life hang in the balance with the help of good friends she found the answers.

I have the feeling that a lot of Mary's friends have been in earlier books. I know I would like to read them sometime in the future. If your a Mary Crow fan I think you will like this. If you like mysteries that keep you guessing this will be a good one to read.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give a honest review in return from Netgalley.

04/08/2012 PUB Midnight Ink ISBN9780738735849 384 pages





Description below taken off of Netgalley.com


An Appalachian ghost legend scares up a grisly murder

Deep in the Appalachian woods stands the old Fiddlesticks cabin, the scene of a bloody double murder from decades past. Supposedly haunted, it attracts young thrill seekers hoping to hear the killer’s ghostly fiddle music. One such visit ends tragically when a college student is strangled to death — her flesh mutilated with bizarre symbols.

The victim is Lisa Wilson, daughter of a former North Carolina governor. The ball-busting politician will eat Pisgah County for breakfast until someone is convicted. Evidence leads to the indictment of Nick Stratton, the handsome raptor specialist who was Lisa’s boss and not-so-secret crush.

Attorney Mary Crow, a county native with blood ties to the Cherokee nation, agrees to defend Nick. Did he do it, or is there a deranged mountain killer with a taste for pretty girls on the loose?

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Return of the Mystic Gray by Steve Westover


4 STARS

Return of the Mystic Gray is a Crater Lake series book 2

I did not read book 1 of Crater Lake series. While it did stand alone I felt like it would have been better to read book one. I know I will want to read the next book in the series to see what happens next.

Return of the Mystic Gray is full of action, drama. I guess the kids from the first book are back plus some new characters. Most of the children have powers that they can't control.

Ethan and his little sister Jordan are back home. Jordan has visions and they take over her body. Her parents don't understand, but
Ethan tries to protect her. Ethan finds that Jordan has left the house. He finds her on top of barn about to jump off it. She thinks she is jumping into Crater Lake. Ethan gets her awake and takes her back to the house and guards her room. He leaves before his parents wakeup.

Their mom gets a call that their friend Allie is missing. Allie might have burned her house down on purpose. Also another friend from Crater Lake Brady hurt his father and he is in hospital. Brady is missing too. Ethan's mom wants him to stay home from school and no reading if he does not tell her about any information about his friends. While they are fighting Jordan gets on her bus and leaves for school.

When Ethan gets to school he finds his sister as hi-jacked her bus and is driving it away from school. Ethan jumps on the bus but can't get inside to help his sister.

Every time things look calm something else happens to one or all of them. What is making the kids go back to Crater Lake. Who can they trust? Some of what happened in the first book is explained but I want to go read it and than read this book again. I want to do that right before the next book comes out.

I think fans of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Ranger Apprentice will like these books. Though this is a lot smaller books.

I was given this ebook to read and in exchange asked to give honest review from Netgalley.

04/09/2013 PUB Cedar Fort Imprint Sweetwater 256 pages ISBN 9781462111879

Description below taken off Netgalley.com

Ethan and his friends are back in a brand-new adventure! With inherited powers they don’t understand and can’t quite control, they head back to Crater Lake to rescue their friend Jacob, train for an epic battle, and join forces with a powerful ally—the Mystic Gray. Filled with action, adventure, and mystery, this book is a thrilling addition to the Crater Lake series!

Rock Harbor Search and Rescue by Colleen Coble

Rock Harbor Search and Rescue by Colleen Coble & Robin Caroll

4 STARS

Well one of the first things I learned their is surfing on the great lakes. The story drew me into caring for Emily right away. I was getting angry with her father not believing in her.

Good Plot, likeable characters, drama, action, suspense and good information about search and rescue. Makes me want to go and read more of Colleen Coble and Robin Caroll's work. This is aimed for middle school readers, but others would like it too. It is a clean read.

Emily is in middle school. She makes jewelry and wants to do search and rescue with her own dog when she gets older. Her father said if she earned 150$ he will get the rest of the money for her birthday. She has to prove she is responsible first.
Emily has made a lot of jewelry that she hopes will sell at Fall festival.

Emily has helped out during the summer with training search and rescue dogs center. Her stepmother is a member of search and rescue with her dog Charlie. Sometimes Emily gets to go with her and help search.

A necklace at the booth next door to Emily's was stolen and a copy of it that Emily had made was switched in its place. Her father made Emily give her hard money to her because she was watching the book for her when it might have been taken.

Witness show up who heard that Emily was making the copy so she could steal it. Even her family does not believe in her. Students in school are mean to her. Emily feels she needs to solve the case if she is to have any chance to get her own search and rescue puppy.
I was given this ebook to read and in exchange asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.

publication: April 9th 2013 by Thomas Nelson Publishers 256 pages ISBN: 1400321069

Description below taken off of Netgalley.co,


In Rock Harbor Search and Rescue, a middle grade fiction novel based on Colleen Coble’s bestselling Rock Harbor series for adults, kids will enjoy the mixture of pets, adventure, suspense, and a mystery.

Emily O’Reilly is obsessed with all things Search and Rescue. She volunteers with the team and goes on rescue missions with her stepmom. She is even selling homemade jewelry to save up for her own Search and Rescue puppy. But when an expensive necklace is stolen from a renowned jewelry artist at Rock Harbor’s fall festival and Emily is accused of the crime, it looks like she’ll never get her puppy and be able to join the Rock Harbor Search and Rescue team.

Emily isn’t willing to give up on her Search and Rescue dreams that easily, and she sets out to find the real culprit and to restore her reputation. With a few suspects in mind, Emily is determined to uncover the truth, but she isn’t prepared for the secrets she and the Search and Rescue dogs sniff out in the process. This exciting mystery is filled with twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and have them pining after a Search and Rescue puppy of their own!