Category Archives: 5 Star Reviews
Review – Angel of Shadow by D H Nevins @dhnevins
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Monday Mini – Surgical by Geoffrey Germann #GeoffreyGermann
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I had reviewed the first book, Prepare, in this superhero series and loved it (see it here), so when Geoffrey Germann sent me Surgical, Book II, I was eager to read more about the superhero, Darren Kiel.
MY REVIEW
Terror from the opening pages.
Darren Kiel is a vigilante, a super hero. Who doesn’t love someone who works undercover saving those unable to save themselves, never needing or wanting credit or acknowledgement?
Darren is an introvert and has been alone for so long, he is craving interaction with another human. He works in disguise so only has fleeting contact and can never let anyone know who he really is. After 200 days a man could lose his mind.
Until…
He becomes part of a superhero, scifi team: Darren has the suit, Faye has the cloak, Walter is the brains and the means, Brigham is the gopher, and Ives is the techie, the inventor. The characters are unique individuals, well developed, flaws and all. I would love to be a part of their team.
It makes me wonder what super heroes are lurking in our world, invisible to us. Could it be your next door neighbor?
The technology is very realistic and who knows what the government keeps secret from us. Maybe some of it is being used today?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Surgical by Geoffrey Germann.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The leader of a lynchpin Eastern Bloc nation has been increasingly erratic, belligerent, destabilizing the entire region. On the cusp of reversing the personal campaign that is destined to bring war, he is assassinated. His death comes with no warning, draws no blood, and leaves no trace; a puppet with its strings cut.
A new assassin, a new terrorist, can kill anyone, anywhere, anytime. He is undetectable, untraceable, unstoppable. He will bring governments, nations, and continents to their knees one leader at a time.
His next target is Walter Rocaena.
To fight this enemy Walter will need extraordinary help, but he hasn’t seen Darren Kiel in over a year. Can Walter find him in time and, even if he does, how can anyone stop an assassin that can kill with a thought without ever being near the target?
Even if it is possible, can they do it before civilization itself unravels?
Monsters Are Real!!! Bitter Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff @AlexSokoloff
OMG..Alexandra Sokoloff did it again in Bitter Moon, Book IV in the Huntress/FBI Thriller series.
MY REVIEW
I had received several books of this series and loved them so much, I binge read all three. So apt this book comes after the others. I think I got a lot more from it, because I am totally engrossed in how Cara came to be a vigilante.
In Bitter Moon, Cara relives her tragic past and it is brutal, horrifying, terrifying, and haunting. The insight into her motivation makes me see evil in its purest form. It’s no wonder she takes her revenge as a vigilante on all the users and abusers. The atrocities committed on defenseless children by family, friends, strangers, they need a guardian angel and Cara will fight to her dying breath for herself and for them.
Roarke has walked away from the FBI because of his conflicted feelings about her. He is lost, isolated, confused…As he tries to find answers for himself, Roarke tracks her past. He walks where she walked, meeting some people she knew, gaining insight. The nun simplified if for him, he is on a mission.
Can evil be drawn to a particular person? Can someone attract the bad through no fault of their own?
It is frightening and horrifying as I read of her past and know these things really happen, that the depravity of humans are going on right now. I am at a loss for words with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.
I love Cara and don’t know how she can have a happy ever after, but I so much want it for here. If any character I have ever read about deserves something good in her life, Cara does. She is dogged by evil, she never quits, never gives up, willing to take them out one by one.
She runs from IT, but IT follows here everywhere she goes.
Monsters are real!
Research? If half of what Alexandra Sokoloff has written about rape and trafficking, the women and children, throwaway kids, the predatory people out there is true, we should all be afraid. It may be easier to turn the other way, but you never know when EVIL might come for you.
I had wondered if there would be more, because the rest of Cara and Roarke’s story needs to be told, and I am so happy to know…there is.
There are so many great quotes, that I had to share a few of them.
“Look too long into the abyss and the abyss looks back into you.”
“Fear the wolf, or be the wolf.”
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” John Stuart Millshad
Alexandra Sokoloff had me wound so tight, I felt like I would explode. My emotions were all over the place and I did breathe a sigh of relief…and regret…when I was done. The characters have captured my heart and I miss them as soon as I close the ‘cover’. Stay safe everyone, I’ll be back.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bitter Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff and these novels will be sitting on my reread shelf!!!!
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
FBI agent Matthew Roarke has been on leave, and in seclusion, since the capture of mass killer Cara Lindstrom—the victim turned avenger who preys on predators. Torn between devotion to the law and a powerful attraction to Cara and her lethal brand of justice, Roarke has retreated from both to search his soul. But Cara’s escape from custody and a police detective’s cryptic challenge soon draw him out of exile—into the California desert and deep into Cara’s past—to probe an unsolved murder that could be the key to her long and deadly career.
Following young Cara’s trail, Roarke uncovers a horrifying attack on a schoolgirl, the shocking suicide of another, and a human monster stalking Cara’s old high school. Separated by sixteen years, crossing paths in the present and past, Roarke and fourteen-year-old Cara must race to find and stop the sadistic sexual predator before more young women are brutalized.
ABOUT ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF
I’m the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of the Amazon bestselling crime and supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, Book of Shadows, The Unseen, The Space Between, and the new Thriller Award- nominated Huntress/FBI thriller series: Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon. Bitter Moon, Hunger Moon. The New York Times Book Review has called me “a daughter of Mary Shelley” and my novels “some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.”
I’m a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where I majored in theater and minored in everything that Berkeley has a reputation for. After college I moved to Los Angeles, where I’ve made an interesting living doing novel adaptations and selling original thriller scripts to various Hollywood studios.
In my stories I like to cross the possibility of the supernatural with very real life explanations for any strangeness going on, and base the action squarely in fact. THE UNSEEN is based on real paranormal research conducted at the Duke University parapsychology lab, and BOOK OF SHADOWS teams a Boston homicide detective and a practicing Salem witch in a race to solve what may be a Satanic killing. THE SPACE BETWEEN, is an edgy supernatural YA about a troubled high school girl who is having dreams of a terrible massacre at her school, and becomes convinced that she can prevent the shooting if she can unravel the dream.
I also have written paranormal romance (THE SHIFTERS, KEEPER OF THE SHADOWS) and the non-fiction workbooks SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on my internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (http://screenwritingtricks.com)
I live in Los Angeles and in Scotland, with Scottish crime author Craig Robertson.
When I’m not writing I dance: jazz, ballet, salsa, Lindy, swing – I do it all, every chance I get.
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest
MY REVIEW LINKS FOR ALEXANDRA SOKOLOF
I love these gorgeous covers.
Monday Mini – Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor @lainitaylor
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I was so excited when I found I had won a hard copy of Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor.
I love the gorgeous cover. How about you?
MY REVIEW
I was awed and amazed with the excellent world building and the romance that crosses all barriers. The characters are richly developed and complex, each one vital to the story in their own way. I loved everything about this unputdownable fantasy, so I will warn you to start Strange The Dreamer on the weekend, lock all the doors, pull the curtains, and put up the DO NOT DISTURB sign. My only complaint…There is another book and you will need to read it to get all the answers.
“Life won’t just happen to you, boy,” he said. “You have to happen to it.”
I was super excited that I won a copy of Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
laini. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?
Welcome to Weep.
Prepare To Be Amazed – The Divine Heart by Danielle R Mani
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I love the cover for The Divine Heart by R Mani and I agree with the tag line, “A beautifully perfect story.
I was wowed and amazed.
MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW
WOW…just….WOW. The Divine Heart has surprise after surprise rising from the pages, and what I thought would be a ‘simple’ heart transplant story explodes into so much more leaving me sad to see it end.
I won a paperback copy of The Divine Heart, and I immediately began reading it.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Seventeen-year-old Elle Collins has spent most her life waiting for someone else to die…
When a heart donor is found, Elle awakes from surgery gifted with more than just a new heart. Clairaudient messages and spiritual apparitions haunt her until she is convinced that she must be insane. Either that, or her donor is sending a message.
Desperate for answers the medical community can’t provide, Elle’s divination leads her to the family of her donor, a young girl named Cas. With the help of her best friend, Rob, the guy who’s proof that her new heart is capable of love, Elle must make sense of the clues Cas is sending. As pieces of Cas’s life and death emerge, Elle will discover that she and Cas share more than just a heart.
Dogs & Killers Run Amok in Twofer Murder by Lauren Carr @TheMysteryLadie @iReadBookTours
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Lauren’s latest novel contains the main characters from her three successful series: Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose mysteries.
Book Details
Book Title: Twofer Murder by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 400 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: November 17, 2017
Available for review in: Print, ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF) & audiobook (Audible)
Will send books: USA & Canada
Tour dates: Dec 4, 2017 to Jan 19, 2018
Content Rating: PG + M (Please be aware that TWOFER MURDER is a murder mystery. There are depictions of murder and some violence–though easy on the gore contents. No f-words but there may be some mild profanity, and mild religious expletives such as “damn”, “hell” and “Oh God!”. Some depictions of brief sexual content (kissing). No drug use or underage drinking among the protagonists.)
MY REVIEW
Hi guys. Good to be back with ya. Who’s gonna get murdered in this adventure? Hi Gnarly, good to see you too. What kind of shenanigans are you and your cohorts getting up to? Let’s pull up a chair, pour a cuppa and have a chat at Spencer Manor in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. We won’t be staying long, so don’t get too comfortable.
Mac and Archie’s dialogue about the fishing trip had me cracking up from the opening pages and I knew I was in for one hell of a good time. Lauren Carr has created a cast of characters that are complex and fully developed, with large personalities. Even the dogs, have distinct, strong personalities.
The sexes are splitting up, the guys going fishing and the gals are spending the weekend at a murder mystery writers seminar. Neither trip will go as planned and there is plenty of murder and mystery to go around.
The dialogue is witty and hilarious.
“Boy, we’re not even there yet and I can feel the male bonding happening already,” David muttered under his breath.
“I’m warning all of you,” Mac said, “anyone who starts crying gets shot.”
Boys will be boys, even when they are grown men.
The incidents with the cheese puffs is a mystery in itself. Gnarly is a kleptomaniac, so he is a prime suspect.
I couldn’t control myself when Storm…and, of course, Gnarly thinks everything is hunky dory. He’s an instigator, creating mischief and he feels okay about it. His antics have me laughing out loud. So much fun, so many laughs.
The babysitter for the tarantula, Monique, has to cancel, so she goes with ladies. After all, even a spider enjoys a vacation.
I love Sarah. One hundred and ten pounds soaking wet, can kick some ass, and has the heart of a vice cop. She can clean up good, but prefers the rough and tumble. I can relate to her.
These ladies can hold their own, but when Dallas finally figured out who the lounge singer, Natalie Drumond was, she knew there would be murder. It didn’t go quite the way she thought.
And the fishermen…This fishing tale is a whopper. And this is so good, I can’t say anything more about it. It’s just too good to spoil it for you.
Jessica and Nate spend a lot of time texting each other. I can see her…and it…happening, unreeling like a film in my mind. I can even see Cameron…Now, that’s some great writing, bringing the action in vivid detail to a realistic standard.
So much going on. The mysteries, with long lists of suspects, kept me guessing. My brain got tired of trying to unravel them, so I quickly flipped through the pages to let the characters wrap it up for me.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Twofer Murder by Lauren Carr.
5 Stars
Book Description
Twofer murder? What’s a twofer murder?
Twofer Murder is a treat for fans of best-selling author Lauren Carr’s fast-paced mysteries! Lauren’s latest novel contains the main characters from her three successful series: Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose mysteries. The guys go away for a fishing weekend only to get caught up in the murder of a journalist investigating fraud at a timber company. Meanwhile, the ladies are spending the weekend in the presidential suite at a posh resort where Jessica Faraday is to accept a lifetime achievement award for her late grandmother at a murder mystery writers conference. But before they have time to get their facials, they get wrapped up in their own real mystery when an up and coming author ends up dead!
Lauren Carr’s Twofer Murder is a 2-for-1—making it a must-read for any mystery fan!
Buy the Book: Amazon / Add to Goodreads
Meet the author
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
BOOK REVIEW TOUR SCHEDULE
Dec 4 – Working Mommy Journal – review / giveaway
Dec 6 – Books for Books – review
Dec 6 – My Reading Journeys – review / giveaway
Dec 8 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – review / giveaway
Dec 11 – Christa Reads and Writes – review
Dec 12 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – review / giveaway
Dec 14 – FUONLYKNEW – review / giveaway
Dec 15 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – review / giveaway
Dec 20 – Library of Clean Reads – review / giveaway
Dec 21 – Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews – audiobook review / giveaway
Dec 22 – Nighttime Reading Center – review / giveaway
Dec 27 – JBronder Book Reviews – audiobook review / giveaway
Dec 28 – Kristin’s Novel Café – audiobook review / giveaway
Dec 29 – Bound 4 Escape – audiobook review / giveaway
Jan 2 – fundinmental – review / giveaway
Jan 2 – The World As I See it – audiobook review / giveaway
Jan 3 – T’s Stuff – audiobook review / giveaway
Jan 4 – Laura’s Interests – audiobook review / giveaway
Jan 5 – Olio by Marilyn – review / giveaway
Jan 8 – Mystery Suspense Reviews – audiobook review
Jan 9 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – audiobook review / giveaway
Jan 10 – Amie’s Book Reviews – audiobook review / giveaway
Jan 11 – Blooming with Books – audiobook review / giveaway
Jan 12 – Pause for Tales – review / giveaway
Jan 15 – Perfect Chaos – audiobook review
Jan 15 – Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews – review / giveaway
Jan 16 – Svetlana’s Reads and Views – review
Jan 18 – Sahar’s Blog – review / giveaway
Jan 19 – Jessica Cassidy – review / giveaway
Enter the Giveaway!
Monday Mini – Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty #LianeMoriarty
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A mind blowing surprise. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty surpassed all my expectations!
I won a print copy and the Blu Ray DVD of the HBO series from Beth Fish Reads and HBO. Thanks so much for the great giveaway.
MY REVIEW
I won a print copy and a Blu Ray DVD of the HBO series of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I haven’t watched the DVD yet, but I can hardly wait.
I was totally blown away by Big Little Lies. I thought I would enjoy reading it, but I had no idea I would laugh my way through my anticipation of who will die and who will be the one who did it.
The characters run the gamut, from overpowering to meek. Their personalities are big, even those who try to stay in the background. The women could be my friends and by the time I got done reading I felt like they were.
Big Little Lies is really about the ladies, and I use that term loosely. I must say that Madeline is my favorite. If you ever need a friend who is loyal and true, Madeline fits the bill. Her mouth is big, but so is her heart, and she backs down to no one.
I was quickly drawn in and flipped the pages as fast as I could read them.
All I can say about Liane Moriarty is…she is now on my radar and I will be looking for more of her work.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.
New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.
Hopeful & Heartwarming – Strays by Mara McBain @MaraMcBain
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Strays by Mara McBain is one of those gems that could easily slip through the cracks.
If you are looking for a feel good book for the holiday season, look no further.
Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA
MY REVIEW
“I’ll risk it. We all go through shit. We can either sit down and cry, self medicate, or let it roll off and keep trying.”
A good deed done, and Jarek pays it forward, just when Cali needed a friend.
“Strays like us need to stick together.”
My feelings were all over the place, leaving me feeling dirty, wanting a shower, yet making me smile and want to hug the characters. It makes me feel hope for mankind. That there are more good people than bad people.
Even though the sex is a bit graphic, erotic, it is so sweet and loving, it gave me a warm, loving feeling.
I cannot imagine what it would be like to grow up without your parents, but this horrendous story of the foster care system makes me fear, not just for the characters.
I could see a totally different outcome for these two young people growing up in the system and turning out ‘bad’, but they managed to rise above their past into loving, giving, ‘normal’ grown ups.
“I think a lot of people underestimate the power of laughter. Couples that laugh together, stay together.”
I so much agree with this. To me, laughter is very powerful…and necessary.
“You don’t keep score in love.”
When theyy came home from seeing the Fourth of July fireworks, my feelings caught in my throat. Thank goodness it wasn’t what I thought, but Mara McBain sure gave me a feeling of panic with her writing.
Such a touching story, the writing having my feelings running riot. Hit all the buttons. Realistic, heartbreaking and heartwarming, with characters that shine and disgust in a realistic fashion. I have to give it a rousing five star rating and if you’re looking for something to wake you up and slap you around, give it a try.
I won a signed ARC of Strays by Mara McBain and I am so happy I did. Thank you Mara.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
They were just strays … lost souls no one wanted.
It can always get worse.
Ripped away from her addict mother at eight only to be thrust into a new hell, those words have become etched on Cali’s soul. Life in the system has only reinforced them. Now, getting ready to step out on her own, she’s making plans and hoping against hope to break the cycle. Running for her life in a thunderstorm isn’t the way she’d expected to start.
Keep your head down and work hard.
It was the grown-up version of, out of sight, out of mind. It was how he had survived the hell of foster care. That, and running, but Jarek is done running. Finally, he has a place to call his own. Working construction, he builds things for strangers all day. At night, he renovates his dream home one piece at a time. He never expected to find the most important piece hiding under a wet tarp.
Can Jarek show Cali that it can get better? Can two damaged souls learn to love and trust enough to build a life together?
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Teaser Tuesday #103 – Carbon by Elise Noble @EliseANoble
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Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.
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Carbon by Elise Noble is one of those novels I might have missed if I hadn’t won the book, because the cover and blurb do not begin to describe the wonderful romantic suspense and mystery story inside.
MY REVIEW
Carbon by Elise Noble is a sizzling and creative twist on romantic suspense and forbidden love, that makes me hope that my fantasies and dreams can come true, too, in an adult novel that kept me on my toes and I read in one sitting.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Meet me at midnight… When Augusta Fordham receives that message from an unknown admirer, the plot could have come straight from her favourite romance novel. Oh wait—it did.
Augusta is soon caught between wealthy doctor Gregory and a dark stranger who makes her pulse race as he indulges her fantasies. Will she choose comfort and security or take a leap into the unknown?
And more importantly, what secrets is Mr. Midnight hiding?
Carbon is a standalone romantic thriller in the Blackwood Elements series. No cliffhanger!