Here in my Heart

In Anna De Stefano's novella spinoff from her Mimosa Lane contemporary romance series, we return to the small community of Chandlerville, Georgia. For Dru Hampton, she ran the radKIDS program and worked at the Dream Whip restaurant. She was a strong role model for her younger adoptive sister Lisa with the Dixon family. But she had issues of her own, when she was reunited with her former childhood sweetheart, Officer Brad Douglas. They were separated seven years ago and now come together again, when Brad's 91-year-old grandmother, Vivian, was dying for cancer. For Dru and Brad, they needed to work through their issues and proclaim their love for each other. For Lisa, she just wanted to fit in and be loved by everyone, when she ventured into online chat rooms and the dangers from there. If you have fallen in love with the Mimosa Lane series, you'll fall in love with Here in My Heart as well.

This was a beautiful heart-wrenching contemporary romance. This dealt with adoption, a sense of belonging, life and love, and following your heart. I loved Dru's story on how she overcame the odds to get where she was today. I loved how she started a self-defense class for kids to fight back and how she knew Brad was meant for her. I loved how they cared for Vivian and mourned her loss with a heavy heart. I loved how Brad helped her out and how he figured out his feelings for her as they worked together. I did feel a bit sad for Lisa, who wanted a little attention with a little jealousy. I did became concerned for her, when she dabbled with online chatting. I loved the small town community of Chandlerville, Georgia, and how they came together. Beautiful heart-warming with emotional drama and a sense of romance.

Ready to follow your heart? Give this one your best shot today!

Special review: Sirius about Murder from May 2008

In the second installment of the Beanie and Cruiser series from Sue Owens Wright, Sirius about Murder, Beanie and Cruiser have found themselves stuck in another mystery in South Lake Tahoe around Halloween. Some residents were up for another debate about how the land should be used--some want a dog park while the others want it to be used for expensive housing for more revenue. When Abigail Haversham, the leader of the dog park movement, was found murdered by a killer known as Sirius, it was now up to Beanie and Cruiser to help the local police investigate the murder for suspects, except for the pet psychic at the fair. They might have another quarry to interview about the land debate controversy, they hoped the real killer wouldn't be serious about making them the next victims on their list.

This was another delightful cozy from Sue Owens Wright. I love the pairing of Beanie and Cruiser in this adventurous mysteries. I loved the backdrop of South Lake Tahoe in the California-Nevada area. It was so very picturesque and visual to see the dog park protest and the fair. And to center it around Halloween was ideal as well.  For a light quick read, this one packed a lot of surprises with light humor and a good suspenseful action-packed book.

Are you serious about books? Give this one a try now!

Special review: Howling Bloody Murder from April 2005

In the cozy mystery debut from Sue Owens Wright, Howling Bloody Murder, she introduced us to a remarkable team of Elsinore "Elsie, Beanie" MacBean, a widow with an adult daughter with Washoe heritage through her blood, and her faithful basset hound, Cruiser. When she worked for the local newspaper, she reported about a grisly murder that hit her town of Lake Tahoe. Beanie and Cruiser teamed up with the local law to compare notes about all of the victims, who were all powerful businessmen, who were all up in arms about the environmental dispute about the land. Police leads to the militant tribal councils, who didn't want the local casino built there. Add some supernatural twists and Nona's detestable boyfriend to add to the mix of the plot, when it was up to Beanie and Cruiser to collar the killer before it was too late.

This was another great light cozy. I loved  Beanie and Cruiser together. They make a helluva team. You've got to lose him. I liked the backdrop of South Lake Tahoe along with the Halloween season. I loved the concept that dealt with environmental issues. I do care about them and Nona, though I disliked Nona's boyfriend. I liked Skip working with them too. There's not much here not to like or love at all. For a gentle and light reading, good dramatic action, nice mystery with a hint of humor and suspense.

Ready to howl at the moon? Go grab a copy today!

Special review: Whiteout from February 2009

In Ken Follett's Whiteout, he put the thrill back into thriller and added some medical elements. Before a Christmas blizzard in Scotland, Toni Gallo, the security director of a medical research firm had more problems that she bargained for. Twelve virus samples went missing, while one lab tech ending up bleeding. During the Whiteout, several people converged in front of a family home. Everyone inside had something to win or lose with the end results of the drug been developed to fight against the virus. That's when tempers went high and turned up the heat with jealousies and a boatload of explosive emotions, causing them to reveal family secrets,as heroes and villains emerge in the end.

This was another exhillerating thriller dealing with medical science. I loved the concept of a Scottish  winter season during the holidays. And to have a whiteout happen to trap everyone with snow and ice made it more thrilling as well. Toni Gallo was an interesting and intriguing character. I admired her and love the work she did. As for the  people at the home, that was a whole another story altogether. This would leave you speechless at the end after the gripping hook to start it off.

Don't get caught in the blizzard! Buy a copy this weekend!

Special review: The World WIthout End from April 2009

Eighteen years after the Pillars of the Earth was published, the long awaited sequel, The World Without End, continued the historical fiction saga from where it left off. Two centuries later, the same fight continued against the rich and the poor in Kingsbridge, England. The royal family and the priory were at ends for the same thing, when with a new set of characters that rule the world, they were at the crossroads with a new set of ideas in medicine, architecture, commerce and justice. At this time, this was when the fatal disease of Black Death ravaged their world for this backdrop in a fight against evil. Rich tones of historical facts of how the people lived and died with factual based knowledge on customs and cultures in this fantastic conclusion.

I continued to love the fantastic intricate details on knowing how a new generation of people lived during the Black Death Plague era.  The battle over the priory continued with new and interesting people. The backdrop of the Renaissance period was always amazing to learn about in this long book. I hated another long read and the war against the rich over the poor. Some things haven't changed. When some details were overwhelming with detail, it still made a good read with great drama, excellent action and a hint of romance.

Ready to relive a new war? Grab a copy today!

Embarking on Murder

Elsie "Beanie" MacBean and Cruiser return in the 3rd installment of the Beanie and Cruiser series in Embarking on Murder. For this adventure, it happened upon Beanie's 50th birthday on a ship. It was no way to celebrate her birthday. From there, she witnessed an argument between a couple and later become embroiled into a murder mystery of their own. While Beanie still wrote for the paper, she was also a mystery writer to boot and interviewed an English geology professor who was quite a man of mystery and a charmer. With wild rumors about a Loch Ness-like monster roaming around Lake Tahoe and a disappearance of a woman who was presumed dead by drowning. Besides a twisted love triangle between Professor Blayne and Skip, it was more than she can handle, while more lies and suspicious people collided with the truth and a deadly revelation in the end, that changes their lives forever. Cruiser was always there to protect her.

This was another fantastic Beanie and Cruiser cozy series. I do love how Beanie interacted with her daughter Nona and with Skip. I love the South Lake Tahoe location and how this took place on a cruise ship. That Crispin Blayne was a slimy person. I didn't like him as much. I wished Beanie would get together with Skip. They seemed to be perfect together. This had plenty for a good and light read to warm your hearts. Cruiser was a real cutie. Good drama, tons of action, and a light-hearted geological mystery in between to solve.

Ready to go on an adventure? Give this one a go today!

Where the rain is made

In Keta Diablo's Where the Rain is Made, she told us a fantastic story that's part historical romance, part futuristic time-travel romance as well. For Francesca "Cesca" Duvall, she lost her family in an Indian rampage and couldn't find her brother, Marshall "Marsh" Duvall. For the two siblings, they were in for a ride of their life. Cesca was abducted from a savage Indian, while Marshall was adopted by an Indian tribe to undergo their latest customs. Cesca and Meko had a heated love/hate relationship. For Meko, he was also known as Ethan Gray in the futuristic world who worked for an Indian museum and transformed himself into a raven. Their love went above and beyond the call of his duty for both of his worlds, while they went through marriage, birth of their daughter, and the deadly Indian battles from the red coats. You would really feel for Cesca throughout this beautiful romance and bring a tissue with it at the end.

This was an amazing historical Paranormal romance. I love the bridge between the two parallel words of past and future with the time travel element. I did care for Francesca and Marshall and for the Indians as well. I loved the American Indian-attributed names they winded up with. When she experienced horrible ordeals, we did, too. I loved the Indian reservation and present-day experiences through time, too, in the western part of the world. You would be taken on a magical journey with this novel.

Ready to be enchanted by this love story? Pick up a copy today!