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

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Devil and the Deep by e Ceruleans seriesTlfayte--RELEASE DAY -- Review with Spoilers and Giveaway




SYNOPSIS:

STORM CLOUDS ARE GATHERING, AND THEY WILL RAIN BLOOD. 
Scarlett is living her happy-ever-after, back in the real world. Only the ‘happy’ part is proving problematic.
For starters, there’s the isolation. Being a Cerulean among humans is fraught with risk, so her time with people can only be fleeting. Which means being with Luke but not being with Luke.
Then there’s her Cerulean light, her power over life and death. Less awesome talent, as it turns out, and more overwhelming responsibility. And it comes with rules – rules that are increasingly difficult to obey.
But what’s really pushing Scarlett to the precipice is something much bigger than herself, than her life in the cove. A force to be reckoned with:
Blood.
When long-buried truths are exposed, will Scarlett keep her head above water – or will she drown in the blood-dimmed tide that is unleashed?

 

Buy links




Excerpt


It began with screaming. Shrill, ear-piercing, horrified screaming.
A girl shrieked, ‘Blood! Look, look – it’s everywhere!’ and pressed her hand to her mouth.
A man shouted, ‘Good grief!’ and another, ‘Great Scott!’
An old lady swooned gracefully and would have tipped over the balustrade of the riverboat had a lanky lad not caught her.
The cause of the excitement – a woman lying slumped on the long table on deck, cheek on her bread plate, headdress in the butter dish – twitched a little.
‘She’s alive!’ cried a lad beside her delightedly. ‘She moved!’
‘Did not,’ argued another.
‘Did too!’
‘Gentlemen,’ interjected a short, portly man with a twirly black moustache, ‘if you will forgive my intrusion, it must be noted that this woman has a bullet hole in her head and is logically, therefore, quite definitely deceased.’
Another old dear folded to the deck with a prolonged ‘Ohhhhhh’ and her husband grabbed a feathered fan and began wafting cool evening air in her face while calling, ‘Smelling salts – does anyone have any?’
I tried to keep a straight face. Really I did. I bit my bottom lip until I tasted my cherry-red lipstick. I pinched my leg through the cream satin of my gown. I dug my long cigarette holder into the sensitive flesh of my arm.
But it was no good.
The ‘What ho, chaps’ posh accents.
The buxom woman sagging in the arms of an elephant hunter wearing Converse All Stars.
The production of smelling salts in a bottle whose label read Pepto-Bismol.
The corners of the little round man’s moustache coming looser with his every word.
The fast-pooling puddle of pinkish blood on the bread plate, buffeted by the steady in-and-out breaths of the corpse.
Take it from a girl who’s really died – death on the River Dart, Devon, is hilarious.
‘Dear me, Ms Robson here appears to be quite overcome with shock,’ said the guy at my side suddenly, and he slipped an arm around me and turned me away. ‘Come, madam. Let us get some air.’
I smiled at him. Then grinned. Then choked back a guffaw. Thankfully, by the time full-scale hilarity hit me I’d been led to the rear of the boat, away from the rest of our party, and could bury my face in the bloke’s chest and shake mutely with laughter.
The gallant gentleman rubbed my back soothingly as I let it all out and said loudly, for the benefit of any onlookers, ‘There there, pignsey, there there.’
‘Pigsney?’ It was the final straw. My high-heeled sandals gave way and I melted into a puddle of mirth on the deck.
‘I’ll have you know, Scarlett Blake,’ hissed Luke, my boyfriend a.k.a. gallant gent, hoiking up his too-tight corduroy trousers so he could squat down beside me, ‘I Googled “old-fashioned terms of endearment” and pigsney’s a classic.’
I wiped tears from my eyes, dislodging a false eyelash in the process, and tried to catch my hiccupping breath as Luke went on.
‘Means pig’s eye. No idea why that’s appealing, but apparently in the seventeenth century, calling a lady pigsney was the very height of courting.’
Through his fake specs Luke’s blue eyes fixed me with a stare so earnest I almost managed to stop laughing.
‘But this is a Death on the Nile-Stroke-Dart murder mystery night, Luke,’ I managed to get out. ‘Set in the nineteen thirties, not the seventeen thirties.’
‘Ah,’ he said, ‘but my character tonight, Mr Fijawaddle, is a historical fiction writer, isn’t he? So as well as dressing like a brainy recluse – and I’m warning you now, I won’t hear another slur against this tweed jacket – he’d know all kinds of obscure terms. Like ginglyform and jargogle and nudiustertian and bromopnea and farctate and quagswag and philosophunculist.’
His showing off sobered me just enough to control the giggles. ‘You made those words up,’ I accused, poking a crimson talon into his mustard-yellow shirtfront.
He blinked at me innocently. ‘Did not. I told you before we left the house, I did my homework.’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘All right then, Mr Fijawaddle, what does that last word you said mean?’
‘Philosophunculist?’
‘Yes, that.’
‘Er…’ Luke gave me a sheepish grin.
‘Spill it,’ I said menacingly. As menacingly as a girl dressed up as a vintage Hollywood starlet with cute little pin curls and rouge aplenty can be, that is.
‘Philosophunculist,’ recited Luke. ‘Noun. A person who pretends to know more than they do in order to impress others.’
I threw my head back and laughed. ‘Busted!’
Luke slipped an arm around me and pulled me close. Really close.
‘Bet you like it when I use long words,’ he said huskily, eyes fixed on my too-red lips.
‘Bet you like it when I wear a clingy nightgown as a dress,’ I replied, eyes fixed on his too-kissable lips.
‘Brazen hussy,’ he growled at me.
‘Randy boffin,’ I murmured back.
Then neither of us said another word for quite some time.



 Megan Tayte bio


Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. ‘Write, Megan,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Megan is a professional writer and published author by day, and an indie novelist by night. Her fiction – young adult romance with soul – recently earned her the SPR’s Independent Woman Author of the Year award.

Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in Robin Hood's county, Nottinghamshire. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a palaeontologist; and her baby daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she's not writing, you'll find her walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.

You can find Megan online at:
http://megantayte.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478850.Megan_Tayte
https://www.facebook.com/megantayte
https://twitter.com/megantayte
https://plus.google.com/+MeganTayte

FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

Devil and the Deep  certainly defines where Scarlett finds herself in book 4 of the Cerulean series.  She is caught between two worlds, Cerulean and the Fallen, two loves, Luke and her family, two temptations, to heal or to avenge.  Frankly, she's not sure who or what she is anymore.  I would,  hate to be walking in her shoes.   Yet realistically, we all do.   We all are accountable for the choices we make daily.   Will we choose to do the right thing or fulfill that dark part of ourselves  by consciously deciding to do evil?

This series has provided me with much to think about as we journeyed with Scarlett.  Her character displayed well defined thoughtfulness and intelligence, a sense of responsibility and goodness.   Yet she also displays human frailty and vulnerability.    We loved with her as she fell for her boyfriend, Luke.    We suffered with her as she fell ill.    We mourned at her death and rejoiced that she lived on as Cerulean.  We triumphed as she learned truths and how to use her Cerulean powers.  We especially rejoiced as she and  Luke were reunited. And finally it has come to the brink of crossing that line where she will make the decision to make the ultimate choice....to kill or not to kill.

Author Megan Tayte promises to deliver answers to all we want to know and then some in the last and final installment of  the Cerulean series, Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully  .   I am so ready to have the questions answered and tie the books tied together and yet, I will miss these wonderful and totally different characters when the book concludes.   I no longer know if I can't wait or I want to push it's release day back for a good while.

I rated this book 5 Winks!

GIVEAWAY: 



                                                               


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 copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Falling for Her by Debbie Macomber----A review

Nothing is as good as being totally comfortable with an author's work....knowing you will like what they have to say and that you will enjoy the pacing, the storyline and the genre.   Debbie Macomber is one of my go to authors.

If I am out of sorts, feeling down, or overwhelmed by some of the suspense and thriller books I read, I can pick up a Macomber book and feel a whole lot better about life in general.

At only 40 pages, Macomber's Falling for Her e-book had that effect on me.   Check it out.

SYNOPSIS:

Debbie Macomber’s beloved Rose Harbor series follows Jo Marie as she makes her home in Cedar Cove, running the charming Rose Harbor Inn. Now, in this original short story, available exclusively as an eBook, Macomber tells a whole new side of the story as handyman Mark Taylor grapples with his true feelings for Jo Marie.  

Mark Taylor came to Cedar Cove to leave his painful past behind him, and has spent the last few years keeping mostly to himself. But when he meets Jo Marie Rose, his world is turned upside down. She’s hired him to do carpentry projects around the inn, but for Mark, spending time with Jo Marie is a risk—to both his long-buried secrets and his carefully guarded heart. Then one day, he breaks his leg in his workshop and must turn to Jo Marie for help. And though he tries to keep his distance, Mark can’t deny how he feels drawn to Jo Marie—and how deeply he is falling for her. 

FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

Macomber writes romance and women's fiction.    She writes best selling novels and her Cedar Cove series has been turned into a Hallmark channel t.v. series.  She has followed the Cedar Cove series with the Rose Harbor series.   Her  many followers and fans are delighted with the continuing story set in Cedar Cove, but focusing on Jo Marie, the innkeeper and Mark, her handyman.

In this short story, we get to see how Mark deals with his growing attraction to Jo Marie.   Once he realizes he has fallen for her, what will he do?   Can he handle a relationship?   Or will this end up being another disappointing relationship he can't come to terms with?   Macomber gives life to this crochety old handyman with a sour disposition and a heart of gold.

I enjoyed reading this short story, although I felt it ended rather abruptly.

I rated this short story 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 e-book for my personal Kindle collection.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Wild Blue Yonder by Megan Tayte--A Review





SYNOPSIS:

IN A WARPED HEAVEN, SHE MUST CHOOSE HER FATE: OBEDIENCE OR REBELLION 

The Ceruleans: mere mortals infused with power over life and death. Five books; one question: If the might of the heavens were in your hands, would you be sinner or saint? 

When Scarlett Blake chose life-after-death as a Cerulean, she expected to grieve for all she left behind: her boyfriend, her best friend, her mother, her home. But at least Cerulea, her heaven, would be… well, heavenly. Right? 

Wrong. 

The world in which Scarlett awakens is very far from her idea of a utopia. Picturesque, sure, and serene. But there can be no paradise within the unforgiving walls of a prison, be they of cold, hard stone or beautifully blue water. 

Now Scarlett faces her hardest decision yet: be a good, dutiful Cerulean, or be true to herself and fight for freedom. 

And if she can find a way to escape, what then? Can she finally reunite with her lost sister? Can she save Sienna from the murderous Fallen? Can she evade her destiny with the Ceruleans? 

Can Scarlett Blake ever reclaim her life-before-death… or must she let go of all she loves?


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:


Maybe I should be thankful that I stopped reading earlier this summer.  It is allowing me the opportunity to read books 2,3 and 4 one after the other and I enjoy that.   I am not long on patience and waiting for the promised end of a series.   The Ceruleans series is a 5 book collection with Wild Blue Yonder as Book # 3.    So  I am halfway, more than halfway through the series now.   And I still love it!

In this edition a very disquieted Scarlett finds that not everything in Cerulea is as it seems.  It certainly isn't heaven and there are many restrictions placed on the womenkind.  She is devastated to find that she has been lied to by both her friend Jude, whom she trusts and "Mother" Evangeline, who has all the power and control.


We silently watch as Scarlett tests her way through the disappointments of Cerulea and learns to trust her inner being.   We even get to meet her sister.

This story is well written and fairly fast paced.  It is phenomenal how diabolical the plot is whether characters realize truth or not.


I rated this a four 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 received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.






Thursday, September 24, 2015

Never Never part II by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher--A Review

Good Morning Readers!

Finally I have completed Never Never part II.    I have wanted to read it for so long and unfortuneately it got placed on hold during my hiatus from reading.


But thankfully I have returned to my passion for reading and Never Never was at the top of my TBR stack.

SYNOPSIS:

“Never forget that I was your first real kiss. Never forget that you’ll be my last. 
And never stop loving me between all of them. 
Never stop, Charlie. 
Never forget.” 

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. And now, the stakes are higher as Silas’ control slips and others begin to point fingers. Charlie is in trouble and he must be the one to bridge the chasm between their past and their present. Because somewhere between I love yous and Never Nevers and Never Agains, a truth they can't imagine, beckons to be found. 

“Where are you, Charlie?”


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:


The first positive thing I can say about Never Never part two and part one for that matter, is that the writing flows fluently.    I can not ascertain any difference in the writing between the authors.   They gel and that is great.   I am not convinced however that three separate parts was a good thing.    Yes, readers are again left hanging in suspense and quandry, NEEDING more.   Maybe I am just an impatient sort, but I want to know and I want to know now.    What if I should die before the release of Never Never part three?

These are short kindle reads, between approximately 125-159 pages.   To me, one longer book would have been sufficient to tell the story and allow the reader some peace of mind.   But again that is just me and my personal preference.   I do think this collaboration has given  both authors a change of pace and hopefully a bit of fun along their authoring ways.   Hopefully most readers have also enjoyed this venture into creativity along with them.   I love Silas and Charlie as characters and I enjoy the hint of  a possible sci-fi or fantasy 
connection to what is happening in the storyline.    Part two was the story of the next time they lost their memories.   Wa, wa, wa....I want part three now.

I rated this a three 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 Never Never part II as an ebook to be a part of my Kindle collection.



Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Forget Me Not by Megan Tayte--A review


SYNOPSIS:

Alternate Cover Edition: B00TVFIU84

IN THE FACE OF DEATH, SHE MUST PROTECT THOSE SHE LOVES. 

The Ceruleans: mere mortals infused with power over life and death. Five books; one question: If the might of the heavens were in your hands, would you be sinner or saint? 

Death is stalking Scarlett Blake. As if the encroaching darkness in her head wasn’t enough, she’s become disturbingly accident prone. Falling off a cliff isn’t ideal when all you want is as much time as possible to live, to love. 

Her fate is horrifying. Unbearable. And inescapable. No one can save Scarlett from The End that’s looming. Not Jude, the Cerulean who is intent on Claiming her. Not Luke, the boy who is intent on loving her. 

The clock is ticking, louder with every heartbeat. Now Scarlett must decide how best to protect the people she loves. Will she trust in Jude and the life-after-death he promises? Will she stand against the Fallen, who have her sister captive? Will she carry the burden of her death alone – every headache, every hallucination, every wrenching, aching emotion? 

And when the clock falls silent, when the darkness eclipses the light, will Scarlett fight for life? Or will she have no choice but to surrender?


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:


Oh I am so happy to be reading again.    I previously read Tayte's first book of the Cerulean series, Death Wish and it was an excellent first book in a series.   Forget Me Not is the second in the series and provided another enthralling read with Scarlet and her boyfriend Luke.   They are a young couple you just can't help but fall in love with and wish with all your heart that they could work out!

But in this installment, Scarlet who thinks she is protecting her loved ones, carries a burden no young person should ever have to carry alone.    She does do some growing up after her eighteenth birthday and finally comes clean with the truth of her situation to Luke and his sister, Cara.   Truth is still hidden away from her mother, Elizabeth, as she has suffered enough with the loss of her other daughter Sienna.

Tayte's writing style is beautiful, so easy to follow and comprehend.   She reveals bits and pieces carefully and slowly, so as not to overwhelm the reader, but there is enough foreshadowing to lure the reader deeper and deeper into the fantasy of the story.

Now onto part three, Wild Blue Yonder!   Can't wait!    I rated Forget Me Not 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 received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

The Return of the King by JRR Tolkein-- a Review

My grandson will be so proud of me...I finished the Lord of the Rings Trilogy!    YAY FOR ME!   Now it's my turn to have Noah, age fifteen, read a romance trilogy!   I am lovin this!

SYNOPSIS:

Concluding the story begun in The Hobbit, this is the final part of Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.

The armies of the Dark Lord are massing as his evil shadow spreads ever wider. Men, Dwarves, Elves and Ents unite forces to do battle against the Dark. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam struggle further into Mordor in their heroic quest to destroy the One Ring.

Impossible to describe in a few words, JRR Tolkien's great work of imaginative fiction has been labelled both a heroic romance and a classic fantasy fiction. By turns comic and homely, epic and diabolic, the narrative moves through countless changes of scene and character in an imaginary world which is totally convincing in its detail. Tolkien created a vast new mythology in an invented world which has proved timeless in its appeal.


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

The third book in Tolkein's series  was quite difficult for me to finish.    However, that being said I am delighted I made my way through it.  I finished very early this AM as I suffered through a bout of insomnia.    I can't wait to tell Noah I finished!

This was the book of wars and desperation and the success of Aragorn, the king.   It was the completion of Sam and Frodo's perilous journey and how the ring was dispensed with.  It also brought the four hobbits together again and they journeyed back to the Shire to find disarray and sorrow in their homeland which required a lot of work to right it.

All in all I enjoyed the read, but it will be awhile before I pick up such a long and involved novel again.    Of course, who but Tolkein  could write such a thing and do it so well? 

   Tolkein uses loads of words, but his descriptive narration makes you feel like you are there in the thick of things.    An awesome, awesome read.

I rated this five winks!


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 borrowed this trilogy from my grandson in a challenge to read between the two of us.



Thursday, September 17, 2015

Hear No Lies by Stacy Green

I do not know what happened to me, but I lost the joy for reading this past summer.    I didn't read a thing in July, or August and I am uncertain as to whether I am cured or not.   I love to read and I am just so confused as to why I needed a three month hiatus.   Shocking! 

 I apologize to the authors of the books I have agreed  to read and to those who may depend upon my reviews.

But last night I picked up my kindle and apologized for having ignored it for so long!    And soon I will pick up a hard copy book and suck in the feeling and fragrance of a bound book.

In the meantime, I will share my opinion of Hear No Lies by Stacy Green.   Enjoy!

SYNOPSIS:

She’s covered in blood and on the run.

Months before the events of ALL GOOD DEEDS (Book 1 of the Lucy Kendall thriller series), Lucy Kendall is still adjusting to her secret life as a vigilante killer of pedophiles. She’s circling her next target when a desperate teenager begs for help finding a friend lost in the foster care system. 

Jaded and still stung from her experiences with Child Protective Services, Lucy searches for the missing girl and discovers the teen’s foster parent lying dead in his kitchen. 

Lucy knows the police will arrest first and ask questions later. Determined to save the runaway before she hurts someone else, Lucy sets off on her own investigation. 

The stakes are high, and the consequences may be too dire to survive.


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

Hear No Lies is a novella of 101 pages and it is indeed a thriller.  It is the prequel to the Lucy Kendall series and it did not disappoint.

Stacy Green always produces a well written and well paced thriller with Lucy Kendall as the conflicted protagonist.  Is she right or wrong in her pursuit and punishment of pedofiles?    Does she do the wrong thing for the right reasons and how do her actions and decisions affect law enforcement and the people she is sincerely trying to help?

It's a wild ride with Lucy as she weaves herself in  and out of a teenager's secrets and deranged mind, with bodies strewn along the way...bloody bodies.

After having read all of the Lucy Kendall series, I am not sure that I like Ms Lucy Kendall, but I certainly can relate to her attempts to make the world a better place for the young.

I rated this a five 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 received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.