Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

California Thyme by Casey Dawes--A Review

It is such a beautiful day today!   And we are fast approaching a very spring like weekend with temps reaching up to 70 degrees...finally, has winter come to an end?   Oh how I hope so.  But in Iowa, there is always the chance of a change quickly into something else.

Today I am reviewing California Thyme by Casey Dawes.   The book is #4 in a series of four contemporary romance novels, published as Crimson Romances.  The synopsis:

Mandy Parker doesn’t want to turn out like her mother, an aging actress desperate for the love of the crowd. Avoiding anything Hollywood-related is vital for Mandy’s sanity, however the economy forces to take a job catering to a movie crew.
Since the woman he’d loved married his best friend, James Lubbock has put women far behind his career in the movie business. The assistant caterer is attractive, but he’s more focused on figuring out who’s sabotaging his set.

Sparks fly between Mandy and James, but can they overcome their painful pasts to risk a chance on love?

From My Perspective:

At first, I couldn't grasp the story as the transitions from paragraph to paragraph and chapter to chapter didn't feel cohesive.   But then I reached the point where I was hooked and couldn't put this short romance novel down.   I enjoyed the characters who were quite well developed and the characters did seem to drive the story.  Mandy Parker carried a lot of baggage from her childhood.   James Lubbock had suffered a great loss with a former girlfriend who broke his heart.   Both wanted a career they could count on.   Neither wanted to give up their dream.

The story line was interesting; someone was up to sabotage Lubbock's career.  Mandy needed to find the truth about her father, Dana Russell.    The romance was thick with need, but I applaud Dawes for being a clean romance author.   Her characters were given the opportunity for  an intense romantic encounter, but it was left to the reader's imagination.   Clean romance?   It's almost unheard of these days, but when I find it, I enjoy it far better than reading explicit sex scenes!!

I see much potential in this author and rated the book a 4 WINK read!   Nicely done, Ms Dawes!

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.



Monday, March 24, 2014

Divergent by Veronica Roth--A Review

I am a hopeless insomniac.   If I have someplace to be the next morning, I can not sleep the night before.    I can pick up a book and read without it putting me to sleep.   I can count sheep, a big lot of good that does.   I can take night time sleep aids and I will still lie awake for hours.   Atgh!!   So I prowl the house and frequently startle those who are slumbering peacefully under our roof.

That is how tonight had gone.   I must take my grandson to an appointment with his Dr at 8 AM and grandma can't sleep.

SO I am going to review Veronica Roth's book Divergent.   Now that the movie is being released I decided it was high time I got on the ball and read the series.   If you have read the book and then watched the movie, please post your comment below and share what you felt about the book and the movie.

Here's the SYNOPSIS from GoodReads:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

From My Perspective:

I read Divergent in two days.    Day one, I could hard;y put the book down; Day Two, I definitely couldn't put it down and so I read and I read some more.   As soon as I was done with supper, I had a date with Tris and Four and their friends and enemies.    This was a very intelligently written dystopian story about the political factions of a government seeking peace.   It touched on the previous political system and why it was abandoned, causing the birth and development of the five factions.   But even in rebirth, there is the ever present evil that accompanies those in power and those who long to be in power.

Roth's characters were strong and well developed, each competitive and some with their own agendas.    Some of the competitors were doomed for failure.   Some would be found to be friends as well as competitors and some would be life long enemies.   Divergent was packed with adventure, which exhiliarated Tris as she pushed her body and her mind to their limits.   I was glad for the sweet romance that developed between Tris and her trainer.

Oh yeah, I will see the movie, but I will first read Insurgent and Allegiant, books two and three in this series.  And I really can't wait to start in again.   We found the three book set at WalMart and felt very fortunate to bring it home.   I gave this a 5 Wink Rating.    Absolutely enjoyed this first novel!!



Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.   My daughter and I purchased the three book set.   

Friday, March 21, 2014

Come To Me Quietly by A L Jackson--A Review

Good Morning Peeps!   This is a crisp morning in Iowa and feels so awesome outside.   Spring is in the air and I am lovin it!

It seems like my inconsolable spirit is finally settling down a bit and I have taken care of any loose ends this month, so I am settling into reading.

Today's review is of A L Jackson's Come To Me Quietly and here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

Aleena Moore is content with her life. She has goals and dreams and an easy smile. She also has a secret she holds locked inside.

Jared Holt believes he doesn’t deserve to love or be loved. He destroys everything he touches. Haunted by the mistake that shattered his life, he’s fled from the memory of that pain.

Jared doesn’t know why he’s compelled to return, but finds himself drawn back to the place where it all began. The exact place where it ended. When he runs into his childhood best friend, Aleena’s older brother Christopher, he agrees to share Christopher and Aleena’s apartment while he looks for a place of his own.

Aleena is no longer the little girl Jared remembers from his past and evokes feelings in him he never wanted to feel again. Terrified of destroying her, he fights to keep her away. But her touch is something he can’t resist—the touch that sealed his fate.

Their pasts are intertwined and their futures uncertain. The only truths they know are the secrets they whisper in the night.

From my perspective:

I loved two previous books I read by A L Jackson, When We Collide and Pulled.  I was sure I would love Come to Me Quietly as well.   The characters were well developed and quite believable and the storyline was easy to understand, relate to and follow.   My only objections came with the amount of foul language the character Jared used.   It was a new adult romance and the language used did coincide with the angst of Jared's character.

I became quite enthralled with the story and was satisfied with the ending as I know it leads into the second book in this series, which I will also be buying and reading.   I am curious to see How Jared's character further develops and if his issues are ever resolved.    Having been married to a damaged man myself, I have to seek Jared's transition if there is one.

I rate this book at a 4 Wink read as I didn't care for the frequency of the "F" word.   Purely, personal preference.


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I did purchase this book for myself.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Hypnotist by Lars Keplar--A Review

Good Morning fellow reading Peeps!   I hope you are all doing well this fine AM.   I have endured another sleepless night, so hopefully, I will not get too punchy with this review of Lars Kepler's book, The Hypnotist.    It is not a book to get punchy over.



Let's check out the Good Reads SYNOPSIS:

Prepare for The Hypnotist to cast its spell
In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.
It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.
An international sensation, The Hypnotist is set to appear in thirty-seven countries, and it has landed at the top of bestseller lists wherever it’s been published—in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark. Now it’s America’s turn. Combining the addictive power of the Stieg Larsson trilogy with the storytelling drive of The Silence of the Lambs, this adrenaline-drenched thriller is spellbinding from its very first page.

From My Perspective:

This is definitely a page turner of a book.  It captivated my interest immediately and I couldn't wait to get back to the book each and every night until it was finished.  I am convinced this was a truly great thriller.    Two mysteries are contained within the pages....Who killed the three family members?    And who kidnapped the hypnotist's son?

I really liked that most of the chapters were short and then quite unexpectedly, there would be a longer chapter.  The characters were shaped and well developed.  Joona  Linna was a Swedish Detective
with an obsessive need to hear the words, "you are right".   Erik Maria Bark was a psychiatric hypnotist researcher who depended on too many pills to aid his sleep and had a sobering relationship with his wife, Simone or Sixan.    She leaned more on her father for help than she did her husband.   It was all quite understandable as I journeyed from beginning to end.   With the odd assortment of patients Bark dealt with it was indeed a psychological thriller and had this reader gripped and breathing heavy throughout the read!

5 Wink folks--an excellent read!



Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.   I purchased this book for my own collection and enjoyment.  


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Charlie's Angel by Shauna Allen--A Review

Hey, hey, hey!!    Good morning to all my peeps in cyberspace!!!   As I write this post, I believe we are to get up to 64 degrees today....my winter wishes have come true...SPRING is in the air!!   And I am loving it!!

Speaking of LOVE, today's review is of a Novella from the Cupid Chronicles from my absolute favorite author, Shauna Allen!    I adore her Cupid Chronicles series!   They are all impossibly great reads!

So here my friends is the SYNOPSIS from GoodReads:

Charlie’s back! 
Miserable and unsettled in his predictable, suit-and-tie existence, Charles Benson, Jr. is finally waking up and realizing a few things. 
He hates his life. 
But instead of a change, he finds himself thrust deeper into the same ol’, same ol’, only worse. 
Or is it? 

Kami Monroe. 
Tattooed. Pierced. Outspoken. Fiercely sexy. 
Jaded after being burned by an unreliable dreamer, she rolls her eyes at Charles’s uptight monkey suits and Polo shirts, even as she secretly craves the stability he represents . . . not to mention the unexplainable and explosive chemistry sizzling between them. 
There’s only one thing stopping them. Each other. 

Second chances . . . 
Add to the mix an angel getting one last shot at Love Detail before moving up the ranks, and you could have a match made in Heaven . . . if they’d just get the hell out of the way.


From My Perspective:


Talk about a red hot story, well I didn't know good ole Charlie had it in him!    But he finally found Ms Right!   And he finally found his true self and what he wanted to do with himself.   I can't say enough about Shauna Allen's talent.   I love to read about the angels bringing lovers together for a happily ever after.   A novella is a shorter story then a fully fleshed out book, but Charlie apparently wanted his story told and I'm so glad Shauna penned it.    He wasn't my favorite character in Inked By an Angel, but he came to life in Charlie's Angel.   I was worried that he may be bald by the time Kami had pulled through his hair several times! (Not really).

Allen writes with humor and love and I believe she is every bit as smitten with her characters as I am.  I just can't get enough of the lovefest in the Cupid Chronicles!    5  Winks again Ms Allen.   Keep them coming!


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.



Monday, March 10, 2014

Beneath the Patchwork Moon by Alison Kent--A Review

Howdy Peeps!    As I write this review today, I have men working on my main waterline.    Apparently this brutal winter has caused a water pipe to break and there is a frozen pond behind us.   Of course I live at the top of a hill and the pond is sliding down the hill and has frozen the neighbor's motorcycle to the pavement.    Argh!
Good thing it is still too cold for a day of motorcycling, huh?

I wanted to read this book by Alison Kent, because my mom had waited awhile for it to come out.    She had enjoyed the first Hope Spring novel,  The Second Chance Cafe'.   So I picked up Beneath the Patchwork Moon for my mom and asked if I could read it before I brought it to her.

SYNOPSIS (from Goodreads):

Transforming the old Caffey property into Hope Springs's new community arts center won't be easy for celebrated weaver Luna Meadows, but she sees it as a labor of love. The center will honor Sierra Caffey, the best friend Luna lost years ago in a car crash. But when Angelo Caffey - Sierra's older brother and Luna's first love - returns to his family's former home demanding answers, Luna must also face her long-buried feelings for him. 

Angelo left Hope Springs - and Luna - eight years ago. Handsome and headstrong, he suspects the beautiful Luna harbors a secret about the accident. Yet despite his best efforts, he can't resist the heat that still simmers between them. 

Will the untold truth shatter their future? Or could a new beginning lie within the tangled threads of their past? Part of the Hope Springs series, this charming romance follows two broken hearts on their long journey home.

From My Perspective:

This was a sweet and romantic read from Alison Kent.   I very much enjoyed the storyline which dealt with the two accident that took the life of a very vibrant and talented seventeen year old girl and the impairment of her boyfriend into a totally vegetative state.   The third victim of the accident ten years ago suffered a broken hip and survivor's guilt as well as harbored secrets leading up to the fatal accident.   The third victim was Luna Meadows.
Two families were destroyed and it took ten years of suffering before the healing process could really begin.

Kent was able to define her main character, Luna.   And we could feel the ache in her heart at the loss of her friend, Sierra, the eventual loss of Angelo, her friend's brother and Luna's first love, and the family of eight Luna so thought was perfect in every way.   Luna was the heart and soul of the story.

Angelo was described handsomely, but for me, he never quite came to life the way Luna did so I was somewhat disappointed with his character.   I like to fall in love with the boyfriend just as the heroine does.   Not to be for me this time, however.

The story flowed really nicely and there were some surprises along the way.   It really took  and it was a lovely read.  It took me about a day to read the book and I think because I had lost both my husband and brother within two weeks of each other about three months ago, I could easily relate to the lengthy mourning Luna and Angelo and the Gatlins experienced.

I am anxious to see what my mom has to say about it.   I rated this a 4 WINK read.





Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I purchased this book.  

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie--A Review

Good Morning friends!   Is anyone standing with me in the wish the winter would end line?   I AM SO DESPERATE FOR SUNSHINE  AND WARMER TEMPS!!!   My son keeps telling me all in good time, our pipes are froze, we are hauling waater in gallon jugs and this can not continue!!   This has got to be the coldest, longest winter in history!!

I know I should not wish my life away and my books really are good company, but my love of good ole Iowa weather is next to nil right about now.

Moving on, I'm reviewing Deborah Crombie's The Sound of Broken Glass today.   Let's look at the Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the past . . .
On a blisteringly hot August afternoon in Crystal Palace, once home to the tragically destroyed Great Exhibition, a solitary thirteen-year-old boy meets his next door neighbor, a recently widowed young teacher hoping to make a new start in the tight-knit South London community. Drawn together by loneliness, the unlikely pair form a deep connection that ends in a shattering act of betrayal.

In the present . . .
On a cold January morning in London, Detective Inspector Gemma James is back on the job now that her husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, is at home to care for their three-year-old foster daughter. Assigned to lead a Murder Investigation Team in South London, she's assisted by her trusted colleague, newly promoted Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot. Their first case, a crime scene at a seedy hotel in Crystal Palace. The victim, a well-respected barrister, found naked, trussed, and apparently strangled. Is it an unsavory accident or murder? In either case, he was not alone, and Gemma's team must find his companion - a search that leads them into unexpected corners and forces them to contemplate unsettling truths about the weaknesses and passions that lead to murder. Ultimately, they will begin to question everything they think they know about their world and those they trust most.


From My Perspective:

This was a first read from author Deborah Crombie for me and I certainly did enjoy reading the book.
The setting is London, the storyline intense, and the characters quite believable.   Paths were crossed for several of the characters, which left the reader reasoning along with the investigators as to who had committed the crimes of passion.

The writing flowed fluently and the book was a rather fast read which I appreciated having my attention held to the very end.   I would love to read more of the Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid series in the future.   Gemma had quite the tug at heartstrings what with a successful and busy career and the desire to stay with the children at home with their father.   Communication  between characters was often at risk due to the complexities of the business at hand, but teamwork was crucial in solving the case.

I rated this book a 4 Wink read.  I was intrigued!


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.


Saturday, March 1, 2014

What I read in February--my joy is reading

Happy March 1 everyone!   Spring is almost here!   I could shout this from a rooftop!!   So excited for spring rain, trees budding out, flowers poking their heads through the ground and robins chirping!   I love spring and I love autumn too- the opening and the closing.

So what do you think?    Is it sufficient to blame my reading of only 6  books in February on the fact it was a short month?    At this rate I will never accomplish my self-set goal of 150 books in 2014.   We'll see if March being longer has anything to do with the rate I read.   Lol.

As you can plainly see, it was once again a very diverse reading in February.   I loved Sarah Jio's Morning Glory and Debbie Macomber's Rose Harbor in Bloom both being romance with a tinge of mystery throughout.



Mary  Kay Andrews book, Christmas Bliss was a fun Christmas read and my review will be included in the 25 days of Christmas in December.




Dick Wolf's The Execution is a thriller/adventure read which takes the reader for a violent ride through NYC.    Marjorie Roy  won copies of both of Wolf's books, The Intercept and The Execution!   Congrats Marjorie, my most faithful follower of all time!

And the Widows of Braxton County was a rather dark tale of family generations and how the present day widow came about to break the curse of generations past.   It was an awesome read.


Last but not least was The Thirteenth Tale.  This book was a little difficult to get started but once we met Vida Winter and she met Margaret Lea, the story came together perfectly for quite a nice, dark mystery!

Although I failed to read a lot in numbers, I certainly had an enjoyable month of reading!

May March bring forth many new authors and many new new books to be read by the book hungry populace!   That's you and me too!

Beth