The Jungle

(Since I've originally read this novel in August 2012, I've updated it with a brand new review.)

In Clive Cussler's The Jungle, the 8th installment in the Oregon Files action-adventure series, get prepared to be blown away by fast-paced action series that had taken place in a post-911 world. It all started, when Juan Cabrillo and his crew mated had received orders to rescue a Pakistani boy from the terrorists. It was no rescue mission, when he met Marion  "MacD" Lawless, who had been a prisoner and had worked overseas. From there, they team up to escape, when things go awry for Cabrillo. Then he had gotten a call from Roland Croissard, a Swiss millionaire, who had requested their services to rescue his daughter Soleil in a Burmese camping trip. Things aren't what they seem to be, when they've been duped by a "John Smith" who's been working along them to rescue her. Since their meeting site was being attacked by bombs, they knew something was fishy and odd as Juan was taken prisoner and faced hours of water torture. When his crew rescued them, they recovered Soleil as a prisoner, too, and they knew that Suleiman Bahar had set them up into the trap. He wants to rule the world and have everyone at his knees as he uses crystals to control a quantum computer to destroy places and things by a sound of the voice. At the request of the President and their former boss, Langton Overholt, Juan and his team get ready to go undercover in a salt mine to take them out and destroy the computer before it was too late.

This was an excellent and mind-blowing action-adventure on land and on water. I cared about Juan Cabrillo and his team mates, especially his newest one, MacD. I also cared for Soleil Croissard as well, who had been dealt such a tough blow. I despised Bahar and everything he had done in plain sight. I loved the Middle Eastern settings from Myanmar, Phillippines, and elsewhere with gripping scenic location.  This would make you gasp and shake your head, cheer on Juan with his crew, and hook you with a thrill ride with non-stop action, drama, suspense and intrigue. 

Ready to enter the jungle? Pick up a copy today!

Leave No Stone Unturned

In Jeanne Glidewell's Leave No Stone Unturned, the first installment in the Lexie Starr cozy mystery series, this debut is compelling and intriguing to give you a great story. Lexie Starr is a widow with an only child. When her daughter Wendy had gotten married to Clay Pitt, she became suspicious of him and his behavior. She had believed he had killed his first wife, a few years ago. That left Lexie to do some snooping of her own in Schenectady, New York, where the first murder took place. She had contacted Stone Van Patten, a jewelry from Myrtle Beach, where Wendy had lost her charm. As Lexie explained the story to Stone, he offered his services to help her figure out this murder in New York. From there, she came across some interesting characters and ran across a tough-as-nails detective named Ron Glick. The closer they had gotten closer to the truth, the more they had doubts about Clay, when things had taken a twisted turn of their own. Wendy had vanished at the airport. It had made things a bit dangerous, when her own suspicions on Clay changed, when they have a new suspect of their own as the killer, since things had gotten heated in the climax, and it became a bit sweeter for Lexie and Stone.

This was an enchanting cozy about what Lexie would do for the love of her child. She was set out to do something and accomplished it anyway. I cared for Lexie on what tangled mess she had gotten herself into. I had doubts about Clay, but I'm glad he turned out okay in the end. I thought Stone was a bit of a riot and a possible suitable match for Lexie. I adored Wendy and was concerned about her for her, due to Clay's behavior. I loved the dual locations of Kansas City and NYC for the picturesque settings in this gripping mystery novel. This had plenty of twists and turns that would leave you at the edge of your seat and keep reading with gasps and groans along the way. This has non-stop drama, action, suspense, and a hint of mystery.


Will you leave no stone unturned today?


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Handle with Care

In Emily Porterfield's Handle with Care, this sweet and sensational contemporary romance novella would pull at your heart's strings. Abigail Miles was a successful psychologist from Philadelphia. She fled from Philly to escape from her haunted past and took solitude in a seaside town called Wincester Bay and hided out in her uncle's boat. That's when she met Craig Port, a widower with a young daughter, who befriends her and became wary of her, too. When he first met her, he didn't know who she was, but he couldn't hide his own feelings for her, as he had gotten to know her. When a local newspaper and a threat targets her in her sanctuary, she wants to flee and throws down her guard. But when she experienced new feelings for Craig and his daughter Chloe, she didn't know what to do with them. Forced to decide to comfort her past or take refuge in this town, she listened to her heart and made a new beginning with Craig.

This was a nice and sweet contemporary romance novella.  I cared for Abby's plight and how she wanted to hide from the world. I also cared for Craig and Chloe, who were dealt with a hard loss, and how they came to rescue as her first new friends. I loved how the town of Winchester Bay welcomed her, as it was remote and idyllic for a place to start anew. It took care of their own. This was a touching romance between two people who needed a fresh start, when they were dealing with their own hardships. Needless, they came together. This would make you sigh and cry and smile at the end. It has romance, some non-stop action, drama, and a hint of intrigue.

Will you find love to handle with care?

Flash of Fury

In Lea Griffith's Flash of Fury, the first installment in the Endgame Ops contemporary romance series, this debut will leave you on the edge of your seat and make you wanting more. For Kingston "King" McNally, he had lost his team in a secret covert op in Beirut, when someone betrayed his team, leaving three operatives killed. He's been on a mad hunt to go over Vasily Dresden and Horace Dresden, by no other means than dead. That's when he met Allison Redding on the plane, when it was Hijacked by Cameroon terrorists and then had threatened her life. From there, she had stolen his heart, when he vowed to protect her from the people after him. Though he thought she was a courier for the enemy, he saved her life and helped her escape from the crossfire. Between them, there was a brewing chemistry that could set the world on fire, while their world came crashing on down on then. For Allie, she had kept her identity a secret,  and had lost her heart to King, ever since he kissed her. While she was defiant against her father, she fled with King to safety as he promised to get her back home. And when their lives were in danger, King recognized the true traitor as Allie would do anything in the power to set things right for him and Endgame, in order to have him back again into her heart.

This was a mind-blowing contemporary romance series in this debut from Lea Griffith. I cared about King's hardship when he was younger and how he changed his life around. I adored Allie and how she stood up to her father and did things her own way, even to follow her heart to King. I think they're a perfectly matched couple. I loved the Middle Eastern locations and the vivid backdrop of scenic settings, even for the brief bits in Washington D.C. This would make you want to swoon for King, root for Allie, and watch your heart take a nosedive in heart-wrenching scenes with non-stop action, drama, heated romance, and tons of mystery and suspense.

Will you be gone in a flash of fury to read this book?

Killer Hair

In Ellen Byerrum's Killer Hair, the first installment in the Crime of Fashion cozy mystery, get ready to read a scintillating tale on scandals and a fashion faux pas. It all started, when Lacey Smithsonian attended the funeral of Angela Woods, a hair stylist that the cops believed it was suicide. But with Lacey's best friend, Stella Lake's instance, she didn't think so otherwise, including with the razor-cut hair. As for the fashion beat columnist for the Eye Observer newspaper, she decided to snoop around and check out the suspects. She ran into someone from her past, Vic Donovan, who she had formerly met in Sagebrush, Colorado. While he was doing security for the Stylettos salon in the D.C. area, they butted heads and tensions ran high. As she searched for answers, Angela's home was burglarized, the same for her own apartment, and threatened to back down by the owner of the salons. When she learned the scoop from another stylist on a mysterious videotape, she met her in Virginia Beach and discovered she was met by the same fate as Angela Woods. Now it was up for Lacey to put it together for her column, talk to Marcia Robinson, and later, she was attacked by an assailant. With her own close call of death with a piece of her hair lopped off, she figured it out whodunit and why, she cornered him and demanded answers. It was up for her to defend for herself, before it became too late for her too.

This was a fascinating and compelling mystery debut that deals with fashion. I cared about Lacey and her love for vintage clothes from her aunt Mimi. I also cared about Brooke and Stella, two of her closest friend, who helped her out in a pinch. I have found Vic adorable and could be perfect for Lacey. I loved the Washington D.C area for the vast scenic settings and the visual locations for the storyline. This would make you raise eyebrows, gasp, scream, and keep you entertained from the first chapter to the last with drama, non-stop action, intrigue and plenty of mystery. 



Will you be a victim of killer hair today?

Dirty Blonde

In Lisa Scottoline's Dirty Blonde, this stand-alone legal thriller is a nail-biter that would leave you at the edge of the seat. Judge Cate Fante is the newest judges in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. When she became oversaw the court case between Richard Marz and Art Simone, things got out of hand, after she had ruled from the bench. From there, it had tossed her a through surprises of her own. When her dirty secret came out from her double life, it causes more than waves for sensational tabloids and a double suicide later. That's when Detective Nesbitt came into the picture about her ruling, when she became a witness and a potential suspect. Not only that, a crazed cop has it in for her and her boyfriend dumps her. It was up to Cate now to fight for her life, when things turn dicey at her hometown and learn some shocking secrets of her own family she had never known. Afterward, she decided to seek out justice and revenge her way, when she had figured out who was the killer with a hunch. But in the end, she guessed wrong with a shocking twist in the end, when she fought for her life and from her arch-nemesis with a chilling conclusion.

For a stand-alone, this was compelling and riveting from start to finish. I cared about Cate and Gina instantly as two single best friends. My jaw dropped throughout this legal thriller, when there was a lot of twists and turns I didn't see coming.  I cared about Cate's judgeship on the bench, even when it became compromised and would fight tooth-and-nail to seek justice. I felt bad for Richard Marz and who Art Simone had wronged him a tiny bit. I loved the California locations at the Eastern side and how depictive they were for the settings. This would leave you at the edge of the seat as you would root for Cate from start to finish, groan and grunt, and cheer her on as she won her own battles the hard way. This has plenty of suspense, intrigue, drama and a lot of non-stop action.


Will you be suspicious of this dirty blonde today?

Darkling

In Yasmine Galenorn's Darkling, the third installment in the Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon urban fantasy novel, this would captivate you with a twisted tale of mythical gods, wizardry, and a battle of good vs evil. Menolly D'Artigo is half-human and half-fae, and also have been turned by a vampire named Dredge, when she has to battle her own inner demons and her fears in the Earthside world she lives in. When there's an outbreak of missing people, Menolly and her sisters discover a new nest of newborn vampires from the sire who created her rebirth. When one of her friends goes missing and perhaps captured by the new vampires, it's up to Menolly and her sisters to join forces with the other Supes to go after them to reclaim their world from being taken over by evil. For Menolly herself, she has to go to seek Jareth, a shaman, who can help her break the bond from her sire and free her from evil, while he also helps them locate Dredge to take them out. That's when she discover a shock about Dredge's past connections and prepare for battle to take him out for good. Later, they end his miserable life When they find Erin, Menolly has to save her life from becoming her sire and protecting her from the darkness inside her, as they've learned about a new threat that might take over their land.

This was a great urban fantasy novel. We get to learn a lot about Menolly and her background. I've raised my eyebrows to know that she's bisexual, which was a bit of an interesting twist to see her HBF background. I really adored Camille and Delilah as well and how they overcame their own inner demons as well. I thought Roz was about of a hoot, too. I liked the Seattle locations and the backdrop for the visual and picturesque settings for the otherworld and Earthside scenes. This would make you want to care for Menolly and her sisters and root her on from start to finish on how she became free from the darkness within her. This has drama, non-stop action, intrigue and a lot of mystery to keep you hooked from page one.

Will you be interested in reading Darkling?

Stick a Fork In it

In Robin Allen's Stick A Fork in It, the second installment of the Poppy Markham Culinary Cozy Mystery series, this caper has a tasty tell about deception, deceit, and cold-blooded murder. When Poppy Markham's on limited duty as a good inspector from a previous hand injury, she's assigned to do a food inspection a new restaurant called Capital Punishment, things aren't what they seem to be, other than the concept and the decor. Everything went wrong, up until Poppy finds one of the owners of the restaurant, Troy Sharpe, hanging by a noose. While the cops believed it is a suicide, she didn't think so and had done her own investigation for clues. She had a list of suspects to contend with, she dealt with her own issues at home and at work and a love triangle between her boyfriend and her ex-fiance. When she thought she had figured it out, she was cornered by the real killer and discovered why he had done it.


This was a great installment into the series. We do get to know more about Poppy and the world of food inspection. I did care about Poppy and how she didn't get along with her step-mother and step-sister, when she at least tried too. I did like her with Jamie and could fault her with Drew.  I did fell bad for Troy, who ended up getting caught of the middle of a scheme, right when his own building had issues for an inspection, before he was killed. I did like the location in Austin Texas and the compelling setting. This would get you hooked on a good novel, though the only downside is that there haven't been any new books in the series in a few years after the third book.  Great drama, non-stop action, intrigue and suspense all the way through to the end.


Will you stick a fork in it today?

Chances Are

In Erica Spindler's Chances Are,  the first installment in the Opposites Attract romance series, this classic and early romance will have you wrapped around your fingers and believing in chances. For Brandon Rhodes, he just buried his father at his funeral. As he owned his father's company, a secret came with it that would change lives. When he met Veronique Delacroix, he became fascinated and smitten with her. She was like an intoxicating addiction when you need to have a fix on it. Veronique never met her father, while she became under scrutinized from her father's hateful stare. She may be a wild woman, but she couldn't stand him one set. When she met Brandon, she couldn't stop herself from wanting him for herself. And when Brandon discovered a shocking family secret, he didn't know what to do about it. After that engagement announcement was written in the papers, they put on a charade to shock New Orleans. But when they began to fall in love with each other, it became real, until the secret was out. She didn't want his money when she needed him to take a chance on her love. In the ending, they had gotten what they ever wanted and where it should be from the start.

This was a fascinating classic romance from Erica Spindler. I cared about Brandon and Veronique's story about how they were meant to be together as they defied their odds. I despised Jerome for everything he stood for and was glad he had gotten his comeuppance in the end from Marie.  I loved how a magical twist of fate had brought them together to set things up in the story. I loved the New Orleans settings and the scenic locations in every season. This would make you want to take a gamble on love and see where the chips or dice fall. This has romance, drama, non-stop action and a hint of intrigue.

Will you take a chance on Chances Are?