Tag Archives: read in 2016

Football Pitfalls – Til the End by Joseph Patrick & Dennis Lowery @DennisLowery

Posted on by

Til The End by Joseph Patrick and Dennis Lowery is one of those books that I read in 2016, but never got around to reviewing. It’s not because the book was lacking anything.I think it has a powerful message to send to teens and young adults…maybe all of us.

Check it out for yourself and I would love to know what you think.

'Til The End

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

If you are a football fan, like I am, Til The End by Joseph Patrick & Dennis Lowery is one of those stories of privilege, coverups, drugs…all the negatives you hear about. One fatal mistake, doesn’t matter why, and the actions they take will come back to haunt them.

The repercussions are like the butterfly affect…a stone in the water and the ripples spread.

I started reading this and thought, this is a story for teens, it’s not doing it for me, BUT by the time I was done, I felt so sad for the young men. The story brought tears to my eyes as….well, I started to share waaaaaay too much.

I think all young sports players should take a look at Til The End. Maybe it should be required reading for school. Maybe we could all learn a lesson.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Ryan, Tyler, Avery and Jacob are high school football stars. Everyone looks up to them. They’re living the life that young boys and men dream of and are right at the point of having it all: a state championship, college paid for, a chance for big money and even more glory in the NFL.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Monday Mini – The Gift by Tegon Maus @TegonMaus

Posted on by

.

 

The Gift

Goodreads  /  Amazon

MY REVIEW

I have seen Tegon Maus’ books around and heard such good things that I had to find out for myself. I was not disappointed.

The story is about Enon, a Jonda and mind reader, and Elisabeth, kidnapped royalty.

Enon would either be a hero or a dead man. The fighting is fierce, but he makes a good showing, even managing to hook up with a woman who has his number. Their verbal banter is more often funny than hurtful.

Would betrayal take the king’s life? Isn’t there always someone hiding in the shadows wanting the kingdom?

The world created is fraught with danger and enemies at every turn. Will  the frightened little man become an unwilling hero? Well, all I can say is the journey is long and arduous, and not all will return.

Tegon Maus can sure spin a tale, drawing me in, making me crave more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Gift by Tegon Maus.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Transformed by a primitive magic beyond a civilized man’s understanding, I was given a horrible gift that no man should possess… It held me, twisted me, turning me at its bidding. I was enslaved by its power, compelled to devour the souls of the dead until I became the monster of my fears. I have seen things I wish never to see again. I have done things of which I wish never to speak. Yet I must if I am to find the answers to fulfill my hope. I have walked upon blue ribbons of molten stone to peer into the depth of a man’s soul. I watched as a promise made at birth brought my friend Enon to sacrifice everything to become whole again – all in an effort to save the life of his child. I have cried without shame for the loss of all I hold dear and for fear that the future will hold more than I can bear. I am Tucker Littlefield. Know all that I say now is true-spoken.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins @pameloth

Posted on by

.

I am a cover girl and when I saw the cover for Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins, I had to have it. I love anything to do with water and this one is a beauty. What do you think?

Cover by Heidi Dorey

Saving Grace (What Doesn't Kill You, #1)

Goodreads  /  Amazon

MY REVIEW

I love the cover and the location, the Virgin Islands, for Pamela Fagan Hutchins’ Saving Grace. It was all I hoped it would be.

I was relating to Katie quickly, wrapping her napkin neatly around her beer, playing pool and winning, but that’s where the similarities ended. I don’t drink and text and neither should she. I find it terrible that a lawyer would act like she did, especially in a room with all her coworkers. She acts like an obsessively love struck teenager.

The beginning is abrupt and I was thrown right into the story and I don’t much like Katie right now. But, let’s see if there is a reason for her being so out of control and sophomoric.

The name dropping got a bit annoying…Dennis the Menace, Bon Jovi, Direct TV, iPhone, Ihop, Hooters, Vaio, Dell, Blackberry…you get the drift.

An intervention sent her to St Marcos in her quest to solve the mystery of her parents death and get her act together. Enter Ava, who in her way introduced Katie to Annalise, Hebrew for Grace, an abandoned mansion that spoke to Katie. Now Pamela has my attention! Who…or what… is really doing the talking?

Katie loved walking on the beach and it cleared her mind. Now, we’re getting together.

Oh man, guess it had to happen, but I’m disappointed how her trip ended. I have a feeling that will change. It was just getting good for me, but I feel there is a lot more to come.

When the news came over the phone after one of the worst days of her life, I got super excited too. My heart beat faster, a smile came to my face, and I began racing through the pages. Oh yeah, now we’re cooking with Caribbean heat.

She got a pick up with a lift kit and cruised off to her new life. I want to be there!! I love to bury my feet in the sand and I have enjoyed a PainKiller or two.

I’m afraid for her and her friends. In the islands anything can happen. The suspense is mounting, the tension building. I can feel it. I see it coming. Does she?

I didn’t like Katie’s whining and sniveling for the longest time, but her growth and development, her willingness to see herself as she really was and make changes, made me like her more and more.

Now…after thinking I wasn’t going to like this so much…I find myself hating for it to end and wanting more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

2010 Winner of the Writers League of Texas’s Romance Manuscript contest
2012 Winner of the Houston Writers Guild’s Ghost Story contest

Katie Connell is a high-strung attorney whose sloppy drinking habits and stunted love life collide hilariously in a doomed celebrity case in Dallas. When she flees Texas for the Caribbean, Katie escapes professional humiliation, a broken heart, and a wicked Bloody Mary habit, but she trades one set of problems for another when she begins to investigate the suspicious deaths of her parents on the island of St. Marcos. She’s bewitched by the voodoo spirit of an abandoned house in the rainforest and discovers that she’s as much a danger to herself as the island’s bad guys are. As the worst of her worlds collide, Katie drags herself back to the courthouse to defend her new friend Ava, an island local accused of stabbing the senator she’s been sleeping with.

Pamela Fagan Hutchins, a former attorney and native Texan, lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands for nearly ten years. She refuses to admit to taking notes for this novel during that time.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Reach For Your Dream – Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean @taylordeanbooks

Posted on by

There are two songs that jumped out at me as I read Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean. I opted to use the Pina Colada song, because I love it and it makes me feel good to sing along to it.

Chasing Fireflies (Power of the Matchmaker)Goodreads  /  Amazon US  /  Amazon UK  /  Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

I have been a huge fan of Taylor Dean’s for some time now, so I am excited to check out another one of her novels, Chasing Fireflies.

Her sisters act like mothers as they do their best to dissuade Savannah from going to China for four months, but she knew HE was there and she had to find him, her true love. She’ll be OK, she has her magic cloak and that makes her invisible.

Emotions bubble to the surface early as I read of the loss of her parents. Can someone die of a broken heart?

OK Taylor, Ive got my tissues by my side, so let’s go find Paul, come hell or high water.

She’s shy, but that doesn’t mean she not observant, taking in everything around her,a spectator of others.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”  What a great quote.

I found it easy to relate to her difficulty with social situations and turbulence. I am a huge fan of my own company and God forbid I end up on a plane with turbulence.

Just like the fireflies my sisters and I  tried to catch on the warm summer evenings of our youth, the dream seems beyond my grasp.

I could follow her life long dream and head to China but that elevator scene…having a hard time getting there. Stopped me in my tracks. Taylor Dean is a must read author for me, and I do love a happy ever after, but this scene struck me so wrong…I’ll read on and see if she wins me over. I know..it’s fiction…just have to go with it.

Taylor Dean is very good with sweet, clean, innocent romance and she is sure to include the despair she feels when her dream is crushed. Ah, the sweet agony of youth and its naivety. She is so different from me but I do remember my broken heart and the soul crushing sorrow…that in hindsight seemed to end very quickly. Did more time pass than I thought?

I don’t mind predictable,the familiar. It can be warm, cozy and comfortable. I didn’t get into this one as much as I normally do her stories. They usually wrap me up in emotions and require tissues. Chasing Fireflies had its moments and is well worth the read.

Chasing Fireflies is one of a series of stand alone novels connect to The Matchmaker.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

My sisters think I’m crazy.

But, I’ve never forgotten the mysterious woman from my childhood who told me Paul is the name of my one true love.

She told me to search far and wide for him.

I haven’t stopped looking ever since.

When I stumble across an article about a successful American entrepreneur named Paul who lives and works in China, I’m intrigued. When the opportunity to teach English in China presents itself on the same day, I know it’s not a coincidence.

It’s destiny.

My sisters say I’m chasing a dream.

Just like the fireflies we tried to catch on the warm summer evenings of our youth, the dream seems beyond my grasp. Will my quest for the elusive Paul always be just short of fulfillment?

My sisters tell me it’s a fool’s errand.

Until I remind them of the day we saw the Red Bird.

The memory silences them.

The Red Bird Incident remains inarguable—and proves my search for Paul is not a silly fantasy.

I will find Paul . . . I will.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taylor Dean

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense—you’ll find all sub-genres of clean romance in her line-up.

To find out what Taylor Dean is up to, follow the links below:

.
MY REVIEWS FOR TAYLOR DEAN
.
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

One Sentence Review – Slayed on the Slopes by Kate Dyer Seeley @katedyerseeley

Posted on by

Slayed on the Slopes by Kate Dyer Seeley is a cozy mystery that is sure to hit the spot, when you are curled up in your favorite reading place with a warm beverage.

Slayed on the Slopes (Pacific Northwest Mystery #2)

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

As our adventure on the slopes begins, shades of The Shining rears it ugly head…the Timberline, snowcats…and I give Meg a lot of credit because she is terrified of most outdoor things, and Kate Dyer Seeley puts her in harms way to entertain us in this fun cozy mystery, with travel tips for your visit to Mt Hood, Oregon.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

After talking her way into a job writing for Portland’s Northwest Extreme magazine, Meg Reed may now really be in over her head. Actually, about 8,000 feet over her head. . .

She’s at Mount Hood’s remote Silcox Hut, covering the the seriously hardcore Ridge Rangers– Oregon’s elite high-altitude rescue team–during their four-day winter training. Sure, Meg beefed up her outdoor skills over the summer . . . but she’s still hoping to cover the event with some hot chocolate by the cheery fireplace. Then, during a sudden blizzard, she swears she hears gunshots. No one stranded in the hut believes her . . . until self-absorbed Ridge Ranger Ben Rogers is found outside in a pool of frozen blood. Meg’s now got to find this killer quickly . . . before cabin fever does them all in!

MY REVIEWS BY KATE DYER SEELEY

 

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – The Passenger by Lisa Lutz @lisalutz

Posted on by

.

I read Passenger by Lisa Lutz some time ago and it’s one of those reviews that just got lost in the shuffle. So…let’s get started.

The Passenger

Goodreads  /  Amazon US  /  Amazon UK  /  Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

The mystery has begun and Lisa Lutz kept me guessing until the end.

Tanya’s husband falls down the stairs and dies. When she finds him, she runs. Why?

On the run, she hooks up with Blue…WHOA. She is a badass and could definitely teach Tanya some lessons. Wonder what her story is?

Trouble comes looking for them and bodies fall.

How would you go about creating a new identity….a new life?

Their life keeps getting more complicated and I wonder what will become of them. My curiosity and Lisa’s pacing and suspense keep me tearing through the pages, wanting answers, but…

Lisa Lutz is not new to me. I have checked her books out from the library and enjoyed them. Passenger is full of a lot of words and some took me on long convoluted paths. Were they there to just lengthen the story or were they essential to the character development and suspense? I don’t expect fiction to be ‘real’ but, to me, a suspense novel like Passenger doesn’t need events just to have them. Know what I mean? It just slows the pacing and lessens the suspense and I like the white knuckled, breath holding, must know what happens next feeling.

I don’t quite get what’s going on and don’t find out why she is running until the last 20%. I do love that I didn’t know the story and had to read to the end to find the answers I was seeking.

Blue kept popping in and out and I loved it. There are no heroes here. All in all, I enjoyed the story. 

I read an ARC, so I hope Lisa trims the fat and makes this the top notch book I feel it can be.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Passenger by Lisa Lutz.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it…

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

ABOUT LISA LUTZ

Lisa LutzLisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling author of the six books in the Spellman series, How to Start a Fire, Heads you Lose (with David Hayward), and the children’s book, How to Negotiate Everything (illustrated by Jaime Temairik). Her latest book, The Passenger, a psychological thriller, will be published March 2016 by Simon and Schuster. Lutz has won the Alex award and has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.

Although she attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, the University of Leeds in England, and San Francisco State University, she still does not have a bachelor’s degree. Lisa spent most of the 1990s hopping through a string of low-paying odd jobs while writing and rewriting the screenplay Plan B, a mob comedy. After the film was made in 2000, she vowed she would never write another screenplay. Lisa lives in the Hudson Valley, NY.

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!