Shatter by Charisse Moritz #CharisseMoritz

Posted on July 29, 2020 by fundinmental

Nice cover, don’t you think?

Shatter (The Choosy Beggars Series Book 1)

MY REVIEW

Shatter is my second book that I have read by Charisse Moritz. Shakespeare Burning was her debut novel and it blew me away, so I eagerly started reading.

Tia is responsible for her six brothers and sisters, and now, seeing she ran him over, Taz. And he could sure use a friend. I feel a healthy respect and sympathy for Tia. Taz pulls at my heartstrings and I feel there is much more to learn about him. Tia loves to rescue those in need, whether human or critter.

Tia remembers good times with Taz, when they were much younger, Juvie had changed him. He was like a porcupine throwing up his quills when anyone tried to get close to him.

Tully, Tia’s little sister is so sweet. Her precious little girl voice and the things she says are priceless. Her interaction with Taz is amazing and Charisse was a master at showing it. She is full of ‘rainbows and happiness.’ What a wonderful yet simple description, as I fought for words to describe her, Charisse Moritz supplied them.

Tia and her brothers and sisters are on their own because of an automobile accident. Her father was seriously injured and her mother moved to be by his side. Her aunt is supposed to be with them, but she left right after she got there. Think about it. A high school senior girl is doing her best to play mother and father for her 5 brothers and sisters. Her heart is BIG and her compassion endless. Tia is the most positive character I have ever read. She never quit fighting for what she believed in. Despair, sure, but somehow she grasps HOPE and figures out a way.

The few who believe in Taz are amazing and I hope you meet them.

These wonderfully written characters go through so many emotions that I laughed, I worried, I fretted, I hoped, and I kept on reading. They were created in vivid, realistic detail that may make you want to wrap your arms around these youngsters and tell them everything will be all right.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Shatter by Charisse Moritz.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

First day of senior year and Tia West just ran over a hot guy in the high school parking lot. In her defense, she’s a little preoccupied as the caretaker of five younger siblings, one dog, one cat, facing a mountain of bills and determined to keep her family together. The eternal optimist, she just needs to try harder, be better, take a deep breath and definitely shouldn’t bring home another stray dog or an angry, scary and scarred boy who is obviously in desperate need of a hug.

After a stint in juvie, Taz is back for senior year, and every minute is a struggle. His only defense is silence. Keeping quiet avoids the slaps, hits, threats and is as close to safe as he can manage. Until Tia West convinces him of possibilities he never knew existed. She fills every dark, empty space with a lightness he’s never experienced before, and the only way to keep her is by speaking up for himself. But his secrets are the kind that devastate and destroy.

ABOUT CHARISSE MORITZ (from Amazon)

Emily Award Finalist and Melody Of Love Award Finalist, Charisse Moritz divides her life between upstate NY and northern Florida. When not barricaded inside her writing cave or enjoying every possible minute with her husband and three kids, you’ll find her listening to 60’s music, singing off key and looking for new reads.

Her debut book, Shakespeare Burning was released in July 2019 and is available in digital and print.

https://charissemoritz.com

MY CHARISSE MORITZ REVIEWS

Shakespseare Burning

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Release Giveaway for Black Cat Blues by Jo-Ann Carson

Posted on January 17, 2016 by fundinmental

Black Cat Blues

by Jo-Ann Carson

Series: Vancouver Blues Suspense, #1

Genre: Mainstream Suspense, Strong Romantic Elements
Cover Designer: Steven Novak

Release Date: January 15, 2016

A nightmare waits in the alley…
Stabbed in an alley behind the Black Cat Blues bar, private investigator Jimmy Daniels clings to life just long enough to tell Maggy Malone a secret.
Maggy, a curvy, Blues singer with a sultry voice and a razor sharp mind is starting her life over after a lousy marriage. Reluctant at first to get involved with a murder, she tells no one the secret.
But when the murderer stalks her, she changes her mind.
Maggy teams up with Jimmy’s brother, Logan, a handsome suit with a tidy view of life. They figure out the killer is looking for gold buried on Gabriola Island by the notorious, cult-leader Brother XII.
As the murderer tracks down the gold, the body count rises. Will Maggy catch him? Or will she be his next victim?

And the lady sings the blues…

Black Cat Blues

An Award Winning Suspense set in the Pacific Northwest.

Vancouver Blues Suspense Series, Book 1

When the going gets tough… the tough go sailing

“Silence filled the room for a minute, companionable silence; the kind married couples live in. Each lost in their own thoughts and yet together. Married… couples? Did she really just think that? Her shoulders relaxed. Being with Hunter felt like sliding into a warm bath, but then he’d look at her and the water would boil.

“The wind’s good,” he said walking over to the window.

That was his way of saying it was time to go sailing. “Uh, Hunter, I don’t think so.”

“I’m guessing Peterson isn’t letting you look at Edgar’s things. He’ll want to go through them with a certified, Mountie, magnifying glass. You’re obviously not doing your day jobs today, so let’s go sailing.” He turned towards her and raised his hands like a lawyer about to rest his case. “It’s the best way, I know of, to clear your head. Get the big picture.”

“You’re crazy.” Three murders, creepy psychic feelings, and a bad guy on the loose. She couldn’t sail off and play on the ocean. Could she?

“Not so much,” he said. He gave her one of those killer looks that made her mind stop working.”

Jo-Ann Carson has lived most of her life on islands off the west coast of Canada, surrounded by snow covered mountains, lush rain forests and pristine beaches.

Growing up, she dreamed of traveling the world like James Bond, searching for relics like Indiana Jones, and finding true love, so it’s no surprise that in her Mata Hari Series she combines elements of adventure, danger and steamy romance.

In her Vancouver Blues Series she slides into the realm of Urban Noir and explores the dark side of the city. These books are mainstream suspense with strong romantic elements and are very-Vancouver.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I laughed and I cried when I read The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby

Posted on September 29, 2015 by fundinmental

The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby is another heartrending, yet uplifting novel filled with southern charm. It reads as if it is a true story. I laughed and I cried, as I followed Annie’s story.

Add me to Goodreads now.

Cover: damonza.com

MY REVIEW

The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby is Book II in The Memory House Series. I have read all of Bette’s books and her writing blows me away. Her novels read as if all is possible, if we just open our hearts. The characters are real and will tug at your heartstrings, demanding to be heard.

Ethan Allen has come a long way since I first met him as a child. Now, he has a family of his own and it is growing. Annie and Oliver, Ethan’s son, are getting married.

Ophelia had taught Annie about the memories attached to some objects and her ability to be able to connect with them…which brought her to Ethan and Oliver. Do you believe in miracles? In magic? Do you believe if we just open ourselves up to the endless possibilities, that we can all tap into something bigger than us?

The Keeper of the Scale maintains the balance of sorrow and happiness. I LOVE it. Most of the time he uses small, round river rocks to balance the scale, but sometimes there is such a huge discrepancy, he has to toss a boulder on there.

If you look hard enough in the stars at night, maybe you will see it.

“LibraCC” by Till Credner

Geez, Bette, I am only 6% into the story and have pulled out the tissues. I blink to see the words through my tears, my throat tightens and I find myself holding my breath.

Bette Lee Crosby’s characters are so real, they can be YOUR husband, YOUR friend…She takes me from a happy place to deep sorrow and back again. The rollercoaster ride drains me, as if I am going through it too.

When you think you know what’s going to happen, Bette Lee Crosby introduces a new character, a new wrinkle. There is so much happiness, I am waiting for the inevitable. Do the scales have to balance? Good with the bad? Happy with sad?

How many times have you sat, worried, when someone is late? How often have you yelled saying, “Why didn’t you call? For all I know you were lying hurt or dead in a ditch on the side of the road?” I sit…waiting…waiting for something to happen, knowing it is coming.

Bette is not afraid to put here characters to the test. The question is…how bad will it be?

Have your ever commented on how small the world is? How things seem to connect in the oddest way?

The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby is filled with intense emotion and a story that put me through all of them. I soared with the eagles, riding high and feeling free. I sank like a rock thrown into the water, going down further and further, unable to reach the surface. On that note, I can only say, “What comes next, Bette?”

I received The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby in return for an honest and unbiased review.

5 Stars

ABOUT BETTE LEE CROSBY

USA Today Bestselling and Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby’s books are “Well-crafted storytelling populated by memorable characters caught up in equally memorable circumstances.” – Midwest Book Review

The Seattle Post Intelligencer says Crosby’s writing is, “A quirky mix of Southern flair, serious thoughts about important things in life and madcap adventures.”

Samantha from Reader’s Favorite raves, “Crosby writes the type of book you can’t stop thinking about long after you put it down.”

“Storytelling is in my blood,” Crosby laughingly admits, “My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write.”

It is the wit and wisdom of that Southern Mama Crosby brings to her works of fiction; the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. She has since gone on to win twenty awards for her work; these include: The Royal Palm Literary Award, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal, Reader’s Favorite Award Gold Medal, and the Reviewer’s Choice Award.

Crosby’s published works to date are: Blueberry Hill (2014), Previously Loved Treasures (2014), Jubilee’s Journey (2013), What Matters Most (2013), The Twelfth Child (2012), Life in the Land of IS (2012), Cracks in the Sidewalk (2011), Spare Change (2011). A Cupid inspired romance, Wishing for Wonderful, is scheduled for release in November 2014 and Book Three of The Wyattsville Series, Passing through Perfect, will be be available in January 2015.

MY REVEWS OF BETTE LEE CROSBY’S NOVELS

Passing Through Perfect

Memory House

Jubilee’s Journey

Blueberry Hill

What Matters Most

Spare Change

Cupid’s Christmas

Cracks In The Sidewalk

The Twelfth Child

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

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