Sizzle: Outlaw Romance
Hotter Than Hell Book 2
by Holly S. Roberts
Kindle Edition
File Size: 4328 KB
Print Length: 191 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Four Carat Press (March 31, 2016)
Publication Date: March 31, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
The story and plot, like in the first book, HEAT, are well-written, kept me glued to the pages. The world-building is flawless.
Sizzle definitely made me re-evaluate my morality <insert crazy, nervous laugh>. There's too much violence in Moon and Gomez' world yet I love every bit of it. I adore all characters here, and their bonding as family - amazing!
Although the romance part of Gomez and Celina is convincing, I realized, the excitement and enjoyment is less compared to Moon and Mak. Probably because I don't really like Celina's character. At times, I find her shallow and weak, didn't do much thinking about the whole mafia thing. The conflict for her was that Moon and Gomez' world is dangerous, not something evil or morally wrong.
Sex scenes - I usually struggle at this. Yes, it is so dirty but not offensive.
I really am happy with this series, looking forward to reading the next book about Dax!
Purchase your copy
About the book:
Alex Gomez is the enforcer for the largest crime syndicate in Arizona and makes no excuses. His hands are covered in blood and the lines between right and wrong blurred.
Celina Thomas has a deadly secret. Only money can fix her problem and she needs a lot of it, quickly. She's gifted with a body and face that men are willing to pay for. She makes the decision to enter the world of high class escorts but her heart cries at the injustice.
One night with Alex and Celina's plan turns upside down.
One night with Celina and Alex's heart of ice begins to melt.
Celina's secret could kill them both. Can she trust Alex and place her life in his hands? Can Alex let her escape regardless of the consequences?
Passion ignites as Alex and Celina sizzle with burning need while death lurks on the sweltering Phoenix horizon.
About the author:
USA Today Best-Selling Author Holly S. Roberts is a retired sex crimes and homicide detective who managed to retain her sense of humor. She writes under three pen names dreaming about stories from life on the street as a beat cop in an unflattering blue uniform to erotic romance.
She married her high school sweetheart at the age of eighteen after experiencing love at first sight at age twelve. Her husband took a little longer to realize he couldn't live without her but came along nicely after he stopped fighting fate.
D'Elen McClain is her paranormal romance pen name and Suzie Ivy her tough crime fighting alter ego pen name.
Her two dogs, Dizzy, a Rottweiler with anxiety issues, and Duchess, her overweight Chihuahua, sleep and play at her feet while she writes steamy fantasies at her home high in the Arizona mountains. She also keeps her pen in blue ink as a contributing writer for UniformStories.com, Below The Salt News, and Bad Luck Detective blog.
Heat: Outlaw Romance
Hotter Than Hell Novel
by Holly S. Roberts
Series: Hotter Than Hell Novel
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 1, 2016)
Kindle Edition
File Size: 1733 KB
Print Length: 240 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Four Carat Press (January 18, 2016)
Publication Date: January 18, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the author, Holly S. Roberts. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
My thoughts:
I had this book since December last year or was it January? I'm not sure. I stopped accepting requests, just re-reading favorite books and learning gardening for a while now. I'm just stressed out in sooo many ways that I didn't want to waste my precious time (if you have been following me since last year, you know why) over new books. When I picked this out from my library, I was ready to be disappointed. Thought it was better that way than to up my expectations. Oh well, this is surprisingly sooo good that when I dived into it, I didn't stop until I flip that last page.
Madison Abigail Kinlock, also known as Mak, is a tough, kickass female lead (reminds me of the young Anita Blake). Her character is credible, I love her voice, and values as a cop (an ex-cop turned PI. Met few PIs in my line of work so I know how cool to have them as friends) . .
As for the male lead, the romance part? Yay! Moon is a swoon-worthy-drug lord! Okay, before you question my morality, I was actually pretty conflicted with my feelings with this guy. Like Mak, I was attracted to Moon but couldn't accept for what he is (a criminal!) but the author added some goody twist in Moon's character that made me want him and his world.
Sex - although yes so hot, it's not so over the top. Thankie! Hey, just tagged this as an all-time favorite book, this means this is so goood. It was THAT good I bought the second book! Highly recommended for readers looking for a great series to start!
Purchase your copy
About the book:
She’s an ex-cop and he’s the head of a crime syndicate.
Heat turns to sizzle and hearts combust when they find themselves wanting more than a few hot nights between cool sheets.
After a shoulder injury ends her respectable career as a police officer, Mak also known as Madison Abigail Kinlock turns to the seedy world of private investigations by default. Now her job consists of cheating douchebags and baby daddies dodging child support. Things can’t get much worse.
Moon controls Arizona’s largest crime syndicate. His bronze skin and blue eyes leave a girl breathless even when that girl knows he’s bad news. Moon doesn’t give a flying fig what Mak thinks; he wants her—ex-cop, bad attitude, and all.
How does she resist the dark side when her body craves Moon’s searing touch? Things only get hotter in Phoenix when Mak finds herself in a deadly situation and must turn to Moon for help.
He’ll help but there’s a price.
About the author:
USA Today Best-Selling Author Holly S. Roberts is a retired sex crimes and homicide detective who managed to retain her sense of humor. She writes under three pen names dreaming about stories from life on the street as a beat cop in an unflattering blue uniform to erotic romance.
She married her high school sweetheart at the age of eighteen after experiencing love at first sight at age twelve. Her husband took a little longer to realize he couldn't live without her but came along nicely after he stopped fighting fate.
D'Elen McClain is her paranormal romance pen name and Suzie Ivy her tough crime fighting alter ego pen name.
Her two dogs, Dizzy, a Rottweiler with anxiety issues, and Duchess, her overweight Chihuahua, sleep and play at her feet while she writes steamy fantasies at her home high in the Arizona mountains. She also keeps her pen in blue ink as a contributing writer for UniformStories.com, Below The Salt News, and Bad Luck Detective blog.
Gooseberry Island
by Steven Machester
Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Story Plant, The; Reprint edition (January 6, 2015)
Amazon Paperback Link
Kindle Edition
File Size: 1386 KB
Print Length: 300 pages
Publisher: Story Plant, The; Reprint edition (January 6, 2015)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Kindle Link
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the author, Steven Manchester. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
The story of Gooseberry Island focuses on David McClain, a ranger who had a one time war trip in Afghanistan. When he met Lindsey Wood, he believes he found his soul mate in her. Both tried to make the long distance relationship work and have been counting the days til his return to Gooseberry Island.
Bad things happened with David and his war brothers. Right after they traveled back home, all of them suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is so common for those who served in combat. Lindsey is a daughter of a war veteran who after I guess more than 20 years, the man is still suffering PTSD. Although she loves David so much, she believes it is highly likely that they would separate as she saw this happen to her mom and dad.
Gooseberry Island for me is not at all just a love story. It talks about friendship, family, pride, honor, etc. It was such a heart-warming story. I love every character, not just David and Lindsey. Every story made my heart ache especially Big Al's and Max's. I know someone who married a soldier who is on a war tour and recently she was complaining that she didn't get too see enough of her husband and their babies are looking for their dad. Ok, it was not really complaining but more like a frustration over raising their kids alone. I know she loves the man so much and she reminds me of David and Lindsey.
I highly recommend this book especially to those people on LDR (long distance relationship) / who are married to a soldier.
About the book:
They met at the worst possible moment...or maybe it was just in time. David McClain was about to go to war and Lindsey Wood was there at his going-away party, capturing his heart when falling for a woman was the last thing on his mind. While David was serving his country, he stayed in close contact with Lindsey. But war changes a person, and when he came home very little had the same meaning that it had before – including the romance that had sustained him. Was love truly unconquerable, or would it prove to be just another battlefield casualty?
Gooseberry Island is the most nuanced, dramatic, and romantic novel yet from a writer whose ability to plumb the depths of human emotion knows few peers.
About the author:
Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers, Twelve Months and The Rockin' Chair. He is also the author of the award-winning novel, Goodnight, Brian, as well as the critically-acclaimed novels, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry Island. He has also written A Christmas Wish (Kindle exclusive), Wilbur Avenue (novelette), Just in Time (novelette) and The Thursday Night Club (novella), while his work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN's American Morning and BET's Nightly News. Three of Steven's short stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul series. When not spending time with his beautiful wife, Paula, or their four children, this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing. Visit: www.StevenManchester.com
Divergent
Book 1
by Veronica Roth
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1st edition (May 3, 2011)
Amazon Hardcover Link
Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; Reprint edition (September 30, 2014)
File Size: 1836 KB
Print Length: 501 pages
Audible Listening Length: 11 hours and 15 minutes
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Audible.com Release Date: December 6, 2012
Ratings: ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
Friends told me Divergent's story is similar to Hunger Games. I didn't like HG, can't stand the violence, brutally killing teens for fun. So told them, why would I watch this one. According to their reviews, this was better. Although the story is similar to HG, this was less brutal. So I went and watched the movie last year. Surprisingly, I liked the movie, book? Not much.
I liked Four but I haven't decided yet if I liked Tris (up until book 2). She seems like a nice person, may be a best friend material, it's just that her 'divergent' attitude and decisions annoys me. She is so unpredictable. Sometimes I compare her to Bella, a weakling and then she would be like a very smart likeable hero. If it's okay with other readers, I am not happy with that kind of character. As for Four, he is definitely a very realistic and memorable character which I think the reason why I continued reading the series up to book 2 (got free book 3 - thanks to Audible!) Other characters are fine. Villain? I much hate Eric than Jeanine. I see Jeanine as Rose Dawson, so not possible to hate her LOLs...
Plot and writing style are both okay except I initially got confused with all the factions. Took me a lot of back reading to understand how it works. What I still don't understand is why factionless peeps are all homeless? They are the largest faction so why don't they all work together and build houses for everyone? I know it was explained in the book but really, are they all stupid to just roam around the city streets and never realized the need to have a place to live in? Romance part as you guessed is not good enough for me since I have mixed feelings about Tris. Hmm, overall, it was an okay book.
PS
Not sure if I'm going to post my review about the second book. . . . felt like I have nothing good to say about that book....
About the book:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
About the author:
Veronica Roth was born in a Chicago suburb, and studied creative writing at Northwestern University. She and her husband currently live in the city that inspired the setting of the Divergent Trilogy.
To The Breaking Pointe (First Force Book 2)
by Cindy McDonald
Series: First Force
Paperback: 370 pages
Publisher: McWriter Books (September 13, 2014)
Amazon Paperback Link
Kindle Edition
File Size: 1449 KB
Print Length: 307 pages
Publisher: Acorn Book Services (September 12, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Kindle Link
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the publisher. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
My thoughts:
This was a quick read, took me only a day and a few hours to read the whole story.
I immensely enjoyed reading this mainly because of the characters and setting of the story. I liked Silja and Grant. Some main characters annoy the readers with their love story but not these two. They are very easy to like, especially, Grant. Toughie but softie and sweet when it comes to Silja...
I was also hooked because the setting of the story is in Russia. I love Russia and Russian men! The author did a good job in narrating the story and the setting well. It was easy to imagine everything and the story flowed just right. I highly recommend this book for readers looking for a new series to start!
About the book:
Five years ago, First Force operative Grant Ketchum let the ballerina of his dreams dance right out of his life.
After her American adoptive parents had been killed in an automobile accident, Silja Ramsay returned to her birthplace, Russia, to take the position of the principal dancer for the Novikov Ballet Company. She was living her dreams, and although they had very little contact, Grant was proud of her.
The owner and director of the ballet company, Natalia Novikov, has a dark secret: her beloved ballet company is almost broke. Natalia has become so desperate for funds to keep the company afloat that she’s forced her dancers to prostitute themselves to financial contributors at exclusive after-show parties.
As the prima ballerina of the troupe, Silja has been exempt and kept in the dark about the parties, until a big-time American financier, who is obsessed with Silja, offers to bail the failing ballet company out and provide Natalia with everything she will ever need. His prerequisite: Silja must become his personal companion, live in his home, and fulfill his every desire.
Against her will, Silja is taken to the American’s mansion, but before she goes she manages to send a text to the only man who can save her, Grant:
HELP!
Now Grant Ketchum is on a mission to find his lost ballerina and rescue her from this powerful man’s subjugation. He will do anything to get her out alive.
If they survive, will he let her chasse out of his life again?
About the author
For twenty-six years Cindy’s life whirled around a song and a dance. She was a professional dancer/choreographer for most of her adult life and never gave much thought to a writing career until 2005. She often notes: Don’t ask me what happened, but suddenly I felt drawn to my computer to write about things that I have experienced with my husband’s Thoroughbreds and happenings at the racetrack—she muses: they are greatly exaggerated upon of course—I’ve never been murdered. Viola! Cindy’s first book series, Unbridled, was born.
Cindy is a huge fan of romantic suspense series, and although she isn’t one to make New Year’s resolutions, on New Year’s Day 2013 she made a commitment to write one, Into the Crossfire is the first book for The First Force Series. People are always asking Cindy: Do you miss dance? With a bitter sweet smile on her lips she tells them: Sometimes I do. I miss my students. I miss choreographing musicals, but I love writing my books, and I love sharing them with my readers.
Cindy resides on her forty-five acre Thoroughbred farm with her husband and her Cocker Spaniel, Allister, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
by Laurell K. Hamilton
Series: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Orbit; New Ed edition (December 4, 2003)
Amazon Paperback Link
Kindle Edition
File Size: 766 KB
Print Length: 560 pages
Publisher: Jove (April 1, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.'
Amazon Kindle Link
Ratings: ★ ★
My thoughts:
It has been a month since I started this, had to DNF, can't stand Anita's kinky sex life. It was cool at first. Anita went back to being a normal human - Anita as an animator/necromancer and a private investigator. Had fun reading about the investigation involving the RPIT gang but once in a while, sh*t like ardeur would happen and I'd skip. I was halfway thru the book when I realized I've been skipping too many pages, so I decided to DNF.
As you can see, I have these two more Anita books which I bought years ago when I was sooooo addicted to the series. The last Anita books I read were Blue Moon (Jan 2011) and Obsidian Butterfly (Oct 2011), followed by Narcissus in Chains just last month (August 2014). I guess it's time to say goodbye to this once-awesome-series. ;(
About the book:
Cerulean Sins, the eleventh entry in the hugely-popular Anita Blake series, finds everyone’s favorite vampire hunter keeping house and kicking butt.
Anita Blake is trying to get her life back to “normal” after a break-up with her werewolf lover. She has settled into a pattern of domesticity, which means that the new man in her life, the leopard shapeshifter Micah, has no problem sharing her with Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City. Things are as peaceful as they ever get for someone who raises the dead, when Jean-Claude receives an unexpected and unwelcome visitor: Musette, the very beautiful, very twisted representative of the European Council of Vampires. Anita soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous game of vampire power politics.
To add to her troubles, she is asked to consult on a series of brutal killings, which seem to be the work of something un-human. The investigation leads her to Cerulean Sins, a vampire-run establishment that deals in erotic videos, videos that cater to very specific tastes. Anita knows one creature of the night who has such interests — Jean-Claude’s visitor. But if Anita brings Musette down, the repercussions could cost her everything she holds dear.
Once a sworn enemy of all monsters, Anita is now the human consort of both Master Vampire Jean Claude and leopard shapeshifter Micah. When a centuries-old vampire hits St. Louis, Anita finds herself needing all the dark forces her passion can muster to save the ones she loves.
Anita Blake returns to find hell hath no fury like a vampire scorned.
About the author
Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the SKIN TRADE, number seventeen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now six novels exceeding one million copies in print. Divine Misdemeanors, the eighth in the series will debut Octobe 29, 2009. She lives in St. Louis County Missouri with her husband Jonathon Green, daughter, one pug dog and one boxer/pug dog.
Law Man
(Dream Man #3)
Author: Kristen Ashley
Kindle Edition
File Size: 673 KB
Print Length: 412 pages
Amazon Link
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
Mara Hanover follows a rating system when it comes to people. According to her calculation, she is a two point five girl and she is fine with it, never wanting 'more' than two point five men. However, when this sexy police detective Mitch Lawson moves just in front of her apartment door she suddenly finds herself wishing she is more than two point five as Mitch is a ten point five. And of course, in Mara's world, ten point fives do not associate themselves with two point fives.
Mara is suffering from a serious self-esteem issues and this annoyed me for most part of the book. I understand girls tend to have these issues, had this too but I was a teenager then. Mara, on the other hand, is in her late twenties or so, can't remember, but really, she is too old to still have that issues affect her life. So it was like another Bella in disguise *sigh*.
The redeeming part was Mitch. If not for Mitch, I would have stopped reading the story. Oh Mitch Lawson *swoon*. OMG. Just mentioning his name makes me want to re-read the book! I've just added Mitch on my to-day-dream-men list (which currently Dimitri Belikov- Vampire Academy tops the list, followed by Quinn O'Connor - Riley Jenson and Richard Zeeman - Anita Blake, respectively). I always love to read stories with dominating but softy alphas. And Mitch *day dreaming* I guess would top the list for human men *grins*. Law Man is an adult book but not much on sex scenes. And the fact that this is HEA (happily ever after) book, re-reading is very much possible, he will definitely stay with me for a long long time! There are too many things I wanna say about why I love him and the book but don't wanna give too much information to you dear readers *sweet smile*.
Law Man is my first book by Kristen Ashley and will definitely hook-up with her other men in the Dream Man series!
About the book:
Love is just around the corner . . .
Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there's no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara has a leaky faucet that she can't fix, it's Mitch who comes to her rescue.
Mitch has been eyeing his beautiful neighbor for a long time. He jumps at the chance to help her, and soon their formerly platonic relationship gets very hot and heavy. But when Mara gets a disturbing phone call from her cousin's kids, she gets pulled back into the life she's tried so hard to leave behind. Can the hot law man convince Mara to let go of her past-and build a future with him?
About the author:
Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake.
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
Not My Mother's Son
Author: R.K. Avery
Paperback: 216 pages
Publisher: Brighton Publishing LLC (November 20, 2012)
Amazon Link
Kindle Edition
File Size: 396 KB
Print Length: 215 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Brighton Publishing LLC; 1st edition (May 30, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Link
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the author, R.K. Avery. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
Ratings: ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
The story picks up months after Bea Miller was sent to prison. The story now focuses on David. When his Aunt Benita died and left him money, he started a foundation he called, Never Give Up. This foundation is dedicated to finding kidnapped/lost kids.
While the plot and set of characters have improved, still there's some stuff in the book that I found not convincing. Never Give Up foundation is working on some kidnapping/lost kids cases and they were written in a way like I was just reading it on a newspaper. I mean, some scenes felt rushed. Like this one case where a child got kidnapped in Portugal. I was just starting to imagine the scene and then the bad guy became too obvious after getting into just a few paragraphs. And then when the bad guy was caught, the foundation interrogated him and so surprised that he didn't deny the allegations. Overall, this book/story had so much potential but it was not executed well. To read 5-star book reviews, click HERE.
About the book:
NOT MY MOTHER'S SON Back Cover Blurb R. K. Avery Devious. Conniving. Deceitful. Insidious. David Miller thought he knew his mother. He thought kidnapping three children was the most appalling and horrendous thing any human being could do and she couldn't possibly do anything more monstrous. He thought there was nothing else she could do or say that would astound him. How wrong he was. After Beatrice Miller, David's serial-kidnapping mother, is sentenced to thirty years, David moves to Phoenix, Arizona; and with the help of a trust fund and an old friend, he starts the Never Give Up foundation, an organization dedicated to finding and returning exploited and missing children safely to their families. With all the wicked things his mother had done, David feels it is his unspoken duty to do something worthwhile. Hesitant at first, but after reading his mother's journal, David is determined to mend their dysfunctional relationship. Every time David visits Bea in prison, she seems deranged, insisting that people are trying to kill her. She ends each brief encounter with the chilling statement, "Remember David, things aren't always what they seem." As word about the foundation spreads, the services of Never Give Up are requested time-and-time-again to help where other agencies have failed. That is, until the police come knocking on David's door and arrest him, taking him back to Bunting Valley, North Dakota, for the murder of a newborn baby boy. Forced to shut down Never Give Up, David is amazed at how quickly the entire world turns their backs on him. The trial begins and his mother's testimony is the only thing that can save him. Telling the truth is as foreign to Beatrice Miller as giving up drugs is to an addict. As everyone in the courtroom holds their breath, you will, too. Remember, things aren't always what they seem.
About the author:
R. K. Avery was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and after taking a writing course at the Institute of Children's Literature, she fell in love with the entire writing process; from creating an outline to developing characters and plot. Being able to make someone laugh or cry simply by using the written language is something she finds so powerful and hopes one day her name will be mentioned among the authors that possess it. Her first novel, Be Careful What You Wish For, reached Best Seller status at Brighton Publishing and was quickly followed up by her second novel, Not My Mother's Son. R. K. Avery lives in Macedonia, Ohio, with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.
Please visit her at www.rkaverybooks.com
Be Careful What You Wish For
Author: R.K. Avery
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Brighton Publishing LLC (September 3, 2011)
Amazon Link
Kindle Edition
File Size: 405 KB
Print Length: 236 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Brighton Publishing LLC; 1 edition (April 28, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Link
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the author, R.K. Avery. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
Ratings: ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
Bea Miller is a widow with four boys. She believes having a little girl will definitely complete her life. Since she cannot produce her own baby girl, she decides to take one from Lake Gerber.
The first quarter of the story immediately grabbed my attention. Maggie Taylor was abducted just in front of her parents. I can imagine how they must have felt during the time they found Maggie missing. It was such an intense kidnapping incident, it was surprising to know how Bea was able to take Maggie away from the beach resort. When the police got involve with the investigation, it was that intense that I couldn't take breaks. I was reminded of this famous kidnapping case involving a two-year old baby girl in Portugal.
However, it slowed down once I reached more than half of the story. When Bea was apprehended and the police found her journal, I began to skim the book. I just didn't find Bea's life stimulating, Bea isn't a likeable character. Probably because she's been a bad mom throughout the whole story. The only thing that made me want to finish the book was David. Even though there's too much negativity in that boy, I still found myself connecting with him.
Overall, it was just an okay book. I have just started reading book #2, Not My Mother's Son - about David putting up a foundation called Never Give up, dedicated to finding and returning exploited and missing children safely to their families. Review to follow shortly.
5-star Amazon book reviews, click here.
About the book:
Bunting Valley, North Dakota-a scenic and picturesque town where nothing dreadful ever happens-is a place where people feel safe leaving their front doors unlocked and their cars running in the driveways. So when beautiful, blue-eyed, three-year-old Maggie Taylor mysteriously vanishes, the Bunting Valley Police Department begins a kidnapping investigation that uncovers crimes spanning many years-not only in Bunting Valley, but also in surrounding states and jurisdictions. Bea Miller is a penniless widow, living a meager existence among the town's residents with her four young, rambunctious boys. Unable to have any more biological children, she is haunted by her wishes and dreams of having a little girl of her own. Bea takes matters into her own hands and follows the chilling advice of her estranged father, "If you want something, take it." Through the handwritten journals of Bea Miller, you will venture into the mind of an individual who believes you can make your own wishes come true-at any expense; and sadly, also at the expense of others.
About the author:
R. K. Avery was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and after taking a writing course at the Institute of Children's Literature, she fell in love with the entire writing process; from creating an outline to developing characters and plot. Being able to make someone laugh or cry simply by using the written language is something she finds so powerful and hopes one day her name will be mentioned among the authors that possess it. Her first novel, Be Careful What You Wish For, reached Best Seller status at Brighton Publishing and was quickly followed up by her second novel, Not My Mother's Son. R. K. Avery lives in Macedonia, Ohio, with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.
Saving Grace
Author: Pamela Fagan Hutchins
Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: Skipjack Publishing (September 24, 2012)
Amazon Link
Kindle Edition
File Size: 436 KB
Print Length: 279 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0988234807
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: SkipJack Publishing (September 23, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
Amazon Link
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from Pamela Fagan Hutchins. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
Saving Grace tells the story of Katie Connell, an attorney from Texas, who has very much complicated problems in life and love matters. After her parents died in a tragic accident, she realized she has fallen for someone she couldn't have. And then there is one bad rape case that Katie's superior instructed her to manage. Everything seems wrong with her life so she takes a break and goes to St. Marcos, the island where Katie's parents met their tragic deaths. When Katie saw the rain forest house, she finds herself bewitched and suddenly wanting to leave her life in the city for the house. Saving Grace has it all - romance, friendship, horror, suspense and mystery but the ghost story didn't appeal much to me.
I loved Katie's story, I can totally relate with her character. The life she's living seemed very real to me. Even the dialogue the author used felt authentic. While I loved Katie's story, I hated how the story ended. I can't tell why because that would be a major spoiler. I was so heartbroken with this book, I couldn't get over Katie's pain even a week after I finished reading the book. Wished the story didn't end that way.
Overall, it was a fantastic read, the story flowed just right. I look forward to reading more from the author, Pamela Fagan Hutchins.
About the book:
Sometimes the problem with running away is what you can't leave behind.
Winner 2010 Writers League of Texas Romance Manuscript Winner 2012 "Ghost Story" Houston Writers Guild If you're at all inclined to be swept away to the islands to fall in love with a rainforest jumbie house and a Texas attorney who is as much a danger to herself as the island bad guys, then this book is for you. In Saving Grace, Texas attorney Katie Connell escapes professional humiliation, a broken heart, and her Bloody Mary-habit when she runs to the island of St. Marcos to investigate the suspicious deaths of her parents. But she trades one set of problems for another when she is bewitched by the voodoo spirit in an abandoned rainforest house and, as worlds collide, finds herself reluctantly donning her lawyer clothes again to defend her new friend Ava, who is accused of stabbing her very married Senator-boyfriend. Is it women's fiction? A legal thriller? A mystery? Romance? A ghost story? Suspense? Check all of the above. Saving Grace is the book you'd get if Janet Evanovich had written Wuthering Heights meets How Stella Got Her Groove Back: zany, tropical, intense, and eerie, all at once. Readers of Lisa Scottoline will love Katie, Annalise, and the unique and beautiful Saving Grace.
About the author:
Pamela Fagan Hutchins writes fiction and nonfiction. She is a former Human Resources executive and employment attorney who lives with her husband and two high school-aged kids, plus 200 pounds of pets in Houston, but their hearts are still in St. Croix, USVI, along with those of their three oldest offspring. She has six books out wtih SkipJack Publishing: Saving Grace, Hot Flashes And Half Ironmans, How To Screw Up Your Kids, Love Gone Viral, Puppalicious and Beyond, and The Clark Kent Chronicles. She is also a contributing author to Easy to Love But Hard to Raise and the upcoming Easy to Love But Hard to Teach (DRT Press), Ghosts! (Aakenbaaken & Kent), and Prevent Workplace Harassment (Prentice Hall). She won Romance in the 2010 Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Competition for Saving Grace (fka Leaving Annalise), and she also won both Mainstream Fiction (2010, 2011 and 2012) and Narrative Non-fiction (2012) in the Houston Writers' Guild's Manuscript Competitions for Conceding Grace (novel) and How To Screw Up Your Kids (nonfiction book). She won top Ghost Story in 2012 from the Houston Writers Guild.
Visit her website http://pamelahutchins.com
Follow her on Facebook http://facebook.com/pamela.fagan.hutchins.author
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