Book Review: Lost Hills

Lost Hills

Eve Ronin, Book 1

by Lee Goldberg

 Thomas & Mercer 

 General Fiction (Adult)  |  Mystery & Thriller 

Pub Date 01 Jan 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Lost Hills through Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley:

Eve Ronin’s off duty arrest of an abusive movie star goes viral, turning her into a hero at a time that the the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is plagued by scandal.   The Sheriff who is desperate for positive press, to combat all the negative press, makes Eve the youngest female homicide detective in the department’s history.

Eve left with a lot to learn finds herself resented by her colleagues, and finds herself having to justify her new badge.  She has the chance to prove herself when she and her burned-out, soon-to-retire partner are called to the blood-splattered home of a missing single mother and her two kids.  The scene screams of murder, but there are no bodies.

Eve must rely on her instincts as well as her tenacity to catch the brutal killer.  She has to do this while battling her own insecurities and mounting pressure from the media, her bosses, and the bereaved family.  She finds herself dealing with a deadly ordeal that will either prove that she is able to, and worthy of the badge, or it will destroy her.

I give Lost Hills five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Standoff

Standoff

by Patricia Bradley

 Revell 

 Christian 

Pub Date 05 May 2020  

I am reviewing a copy of Stand-off through Revell and Netgalley:

Lately it seems the Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River is being used for moving drugs unfortunately leaving park ranger Luke Fereday with a serious problem on his hands.  The road that was once perfect for a Sunday drive is now being used to move drugs. Luke Fereday is sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring.  But when Luke arrives to late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers things become even more personal.

Brooke, who is John’s daughter is determined to investigate her father's murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her.  Luke now has his hands full keeping Brooke safe.  But he can’t keep himself safe from falling hard for the daughter of the friend he was not able to keep safe.

I give Stand-off Five out of five stars! 

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Losing Jon

Losing Jon

A Teen's Tragic Death, a Police Cover-Up, a Community's Fight for Justice

by David Parrish

 Kensington Books 

Citadel

 Nonfiction (Adult)  |  True Crime 

Pub Date 28 Apr 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Losing Jon through Kensington Books/Citadel and Netgalley:

When David Parrish discovered that nineteen-year-old Jon Bowie’s body had been found hanged from a backstop at the local high school’s baseball field.  The death was ruled as a suicide, but something was not right.  David had known Jon as well as his twin brother since the boys were kids.  He had coached them them on the baseball field and welcomed them into his home for sleepovers with his own sons.   After David learned how Jon’s body was founded felt the need to find the facts by this incomprehensible tragedy.

It wasn’t long before David learned of a brutal attack at a hotel, where both Jon and his brother were horribly beaten by police officers.  He learned too of the fires charged against the officer and the months of harassment and intimidation Jon and his brother endured.  There were few in the Utopian like community of Columbia, Maryland believed that Jon would commit suicide.  David could not help but wonder how a night of teens blowing off teen could end so tragically.  The officers were unable or unwilling to find answers and seemed to be intent on preventing the truth from surfacing.  In his own research on the case David uncovered a series of cover-up’s could only lead to one conclusion—Jon’s death was an act of murder.

I give Losing Jon five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: A Tangled Web

A Tangled Web

A Cyberstalker, a Deadly Obsession, and the Twisting Path to Justice.

by Leslie Rule

 Kensington Books 

Citadel

 Nonfiction (Adult)  |  True Crime 

Pub Date 28 Apr 2020

Leslie Rule is the daughter of “America’s Best Crime Writer.” Ann Rule, and now we are going to get to meet her daughter, and the heiress of her legacy. 

Cari Lea Farver vanished from Omaha, Nebraska, on a bleak day in November of 2012.  She was a thirty seven year old woman, who was a Mother devoted to her children,  a reliable employee and a loyal friend.  She was not one to shirk her responsibilities,  abandon her son, and run off on an adventure while her dying father took his last breaths.Yet, the many texts from her phone indicated she had done just that.

From appearances, it seemed that Cari, had decided to dump her boyfriend and quit her new job as well as to give custody of her son to her Mom, and all by text, but from the start something felt off.   Cari’s boyfriend, Dave Kroupa as well as her boss took the texts as legit, despite the fact they felt a little odd about them.  And they were bewildered about her sudden disappearance.  Nancy Raney (Cari’s Mother) however was alarmed and was the one who reported her missing.  Police were however skeptical of Nancy’s claims that a cyber impostor had commandeered her daughter’s phone and online identity.

Nancy was afraid for Cari, but Dave Kroupa was becoming afraid of Cari, because he believed she was stalking him.  The stalker was never seen or heard but had become aware of every move, and seemed obsessed over Shanna “Liz” Golyar, often calling her “a fat whore” in the twelve thousand emails and texts he received in a disturbing three-year deluge.

It was hard to figure out how the Stalker could know Dave’s phone numbers, right after they were changed, or how he knew the names of his female friends, even the shows he watched on television.  Dave and Liz reported death threats, vandalism, and burglaries, but the stalker remained at large.  The threats they received were vicious, vile and far to often obscene sent mostly via text and always in Cari’s name. There was some truth in the messages, but all of them contained one big lie. The culprit was not Cari, but had killed and planned to kill again.

Leslie Rule has written a powerful True Crime book, one that I am sure her Mother Ann Rule would have been proud of.

I am reviewing a copy of A Tangled Web five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Finding Balance

Finding Balance

by Kati Gardner

 North Star Editions 

Flux

 Romance  |  Teens & YA 

Pub Date 29 Sep 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Finding Balance through North Star Editions/Flux and Netgalley:

When Jase was only three he had acute lymphocytic leukemia, it’s not something he remembers.  His cancer diagnosis only crosses his mind twice a year once at his yearly check up at the Oncologist Clinic,and when he attends Camp Chemo in the summer.  No one else in his real life outside his family knows about his past, especially not his friends at Atlanta Prep.

Mari Manor cannot hide the fact she had Cancer.  She wakes up each day, grabs her pink forearm crutches and starts her day.  She loves Camp Chemo, it is there she met Jase, and developed a healthy crush.  At Camp she doesn’t need to explain her amputation to anyone.

Jase never wants to reveal his past.  But after Mari transfers to Atlanta Prep, the school Jase attends, he knows that it could blow his cover.  The last thing he wants is to blow his cover but he cannot ignore the way he is attracted to Mari.   What Mari wants is to be looked at as a girl, a person, she wants people to see more than her disability.  

But how exactly do you move on from Cancer, when the world doesn’t let you?

I give Finding Balance five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: A Mosaic of Wings

A Mosaic of Wings

by Kimberly Duffy

 Bethany House 

Bethany House Publishers

 Christian 

Pub Date 05 May 2020

I am reviewing a copy of A Mosaic of Wings through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

The Year is 1885, and now that Nora Shipley is graduating from Cornell University, and graduating as a Valedictorian of the Entomology program is to follow in her late Father’s footsteps by getting her master's degree and taking over the scientific journal he started.  The problem is she can only uphold her Fathers legacy if she wins a scholarship, in order to do so she joins a research expedition in Kodaikanal, India, to prove herself in the field.

Nora Shipley finds that India is nothing like she expected, nor is Owen Epps, the rival classmate who accompanies her on the trip.  Nora finds both India and Owen far more captivating than she could ever imagined.  When Nora is forced by the expedition leader to stay at camp and illustrate exotic butterflies, which the men of the camp, are told to find without her.  Nora friends a friend in Sita, a young Indian girl who has been dedicated to a goddess against her will.

While in the spellbinding land of India, Nora is quickly faced with a choice that is impossible, she must decide between saving Sita, or saving her career.  She must also decide between the thing she always thought she wanted and the man she comes to love.

I give A Mosaic of Wings five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Teacher in Space

Teacher in Space

Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger Legacy

by Colin Burgess

 University of Nebraska Press 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Nonfiction (Adult) 

Pub Date 01 Jun 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Teacher in Space through University of Nebraska Press and Netgalley:

January 28, 1986 the space shuttle orbiter Challenger lifted off into the clear blue skies over Florida on mission STS-51L, carrying a crew of seven, including teacher Christa McAuliffe.  But only seventy three seconds into the launch, a huge explosion tore the challenger apart, to the horror on spectators and those watching on television sets around the country.

In this revised addition of Teacher in Space we lean how Christa McAuliffe went from a well loved Highschool teacher to occupying the Veteran orbiters tenth and final seat on what would turn out to be  its last flight into space.

McAuliffe had a dream, that she would carry out science projects while in orbit around the earth and those projects would then be telecast to schools throughout the country, sadly instead of science projects being telecasted to school, it would be the explosion of the challenger only seventy three seconds into the mission.  Her story, and the stories of  the others aboard, but the ambition to educate from space did not die with Christa, her determination to use space travel as an educational tool became an inspiration to many, and her name and the names of the rest of the Challenger Crew manifested itself in the establishment of hundreds of youth education programs and institutes of learning across America and around the world.

If you are looking for a story that is both tragic, and inspirational, a remarkable story of renewed faith, as well hope and cooperation for the future, you will love Teacher in Space.

I give Teacher In Space five out of five stars!

Book Review: A Song Only I Can Hear

A Song Only I Can Hear

by Barry Jonsberg

 Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing 

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

 Children's Fiction 

Pub Date 07 Apr 2020

I am reviewing a copy of A Song Only I Can Hear through Simon and Schuster Publishing and Netgalley:

Rob starts getting text messages from an unknown number, in these text messages he’s given challenges that will push him beyond his comfort one.  He must make a choice, either sty under the radar, or risk being  exposed in a way he was not prepared for.

Rob Fitzgerald has his heart set on impressing Destry Camberwick.  In his eyes, she’s perfect and he’s in love with her, devastatingly so, but just talking to her is desperately hard for a wall flower like him, he’s prone to panic attacks and would prefer to hang out with his Grandfather.

But when he starts getting mysterious text messages from an unknown number with challenges designed to encourage him to get out of his comfort zone. Is Rob Fitzgerald on the road to getting the girl?  Will he take on the challenges or will fear keep him out of the spotlight forever?

I give A Song Only I Can Hear five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Starting from Seneca Falls

Starting from Seneca Falls

by Karen Schwabach

 Random House Children's 

Random House Books for Young Readers

 Children's Fiction  |  Historical Fiction 

Pub Date 23 Jun 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Starting from Seneca Falls through Random Houde Books for Young Readers and Netgalley:

Birdie has experienced a series of wrongs in her life.  First their was the potato famine in Ireland, later she was sent to the poorhouse In America when her Mothers new job didn’t turn out as expected, and then she becomes an orphan.

The latest wrong is probably the worst though.  Birdie finds herself having to work for a family that is so abusive, she’s afraid she won’t survive if she doesn’t escape.  She decides she is going to run away to Seneca Falls New York, in 1848, Seneca Falls is a town full of possibilities.  It is in Seneca Falls she makes friends with Rose, a girl with her own list or wrongs, but she had big dreams too.

It is Rose who helps Birdie get a job with the strangest lady, Birdie ever met.  A lady named Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Mrs. Stanton is planning a convention to talk about the rights of women.  Rights for women is a new idea for both Birdie and Rose.  The idea that women and girls could have rights is an idea that is hard to grasp, but they are sick of all the wrongs.  Now maybe it’s a time for rights instead of wrongs.

I give Starting From Seneca Falls five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Woman of Sunlight

Woman of Sunlight

by Mary Connealy

Bethany House 

Bethany House Publishers

 Christian 

Pub Date 03 Mar 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Woman of Sunlight through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Ilsa Nordegren May finally be able to leave after many years of Isolation on top of Hope Mountain.  She was raised to fear the world. She and her sisters had never planned on leaving that mountain.  But the Warden family shows up in need of help and they had to help.  The problem is it may cost them everything they have, everything they know.

Mitch Warden returned home to find the family homestead abandoned. In a land grab after returning home from making his fortune.  A ruthless cattle barron had forced his family to escape into the mountains.  The last thing he expects when he follows is to become smitten with a black haired woman who dresses like Robin-hood.

Warden is determined to help his family reclaim the land that is rightfully theirs.    What he doesn’t take into consideration is the risks his past has brought.   He has been tracked by dangerous men, and they have nothing against risking innocent lives in their quest to get him.  He is determined to end the danger, but that means a journey to the city. One that Ilsa insists on taking with him.  The mismatched pair soon find themselves on a journey they will never forget.

I give Woman of Sunlight five out of five stars !

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Carousel Dreams

Carousel Dreams

4 Historical Stories

by Susanne Dietze, Patty Smith Hall, Cynthia Hickey, Teresa Ives Lilly

 Barbour Publishing, Inc. 

Barbour Books

 Christian  |  Romance 

Pub Date 01 Jun 2020

I am reviewing a copy of  Carousel Dreams through Barbour Books and Netgalley:

The first story in this four story collection, Sophia’s Hope takes us back in time to 1889, Oak Bluff, Martha’s Vineyard where Sophia Blackwell is living the life of the wealthy, but she remains on the edge of acceptance .  Drake Moreland is interested in Sophia but he believes that she’s above his station.  Unfortunately a misunderstanding between them nearly destroys their chances at love.  Cynthia Hickey  draws you in with this story.

The Art of Romance by Cynthia Hickey is the second story in Carousel Dreams.  In this story we are transported  back to 1895, in Riverside Rhode Island.  Just what Thomas West needs is an interview with the artist painting the Crescent Park Carousel.  What he finds instead is that his daughter, Jane is hiding secrets. Thomas is desperate to uncover.  Jane has to do everything she can to save her ill father’s reputation as well as her heart.

Carousel of Love by Teresa Ives Lilly takes us to Exposition Park, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania 1910.  For Tamara Brand spending the summer at Expedition Park impersonating her wealthy debutante employee is a dream control, that is until she meets Blake Conner, Blake is a Carnie who runs the Carousel.  But Tamara can’t help nor feel that Blake is the type of man she should get to know better the only problem is she’s pretending to be someone she isn’t.

Carousel Wedding by Susanne Dietze allows us to travel back in time to 1922, Balboa Park located in San Diego California. June Lowell is a secretary at the Natural History Museum, to her being with scientist Martin Howard is as thrilling as a ride on the carousel by the museum, the problem is Martin and June cannot have a relationship.  

I give Carousel Dreams five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!