Synopsis

 

Love at first sight. It’s every girl’s dream. But Tara Simpkins is finding out it’s not as easy as it seems. Is this truly the man God sent to be her husband, or is she just desperate to escape her loneliness? The recent loss of both parents has left her reeling, and close friends don’t think she’s in any position to make major life decisions. She and her new-found love are convinced they can live happily ever after in the home of their dreams. His family thinks he’s moving way too fast and might disappoint the kind-hearted woman he’s fallen head over heels for. And then there’s Leah. Leah is supposed to be part of his past, but what if she decides she’s his future? Tara’s match made in Heaven may be over before it truly begins.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Tara Simpkins nibbled her balled fist, hoping to turn a rout into a win. Andy had spent three days installing her roof. He’d come into her life last Friday and was the perfect man. But unless she developed a way to keep him close, his exit would be speedier than his entrance had been.

The handsome roofer had captured her attention his first day on the job. He had even appeared mesmerized by Tara. That had never happened before. Men ran from her, not to her. She couldn’t tell what prompted his interest in her, yet he continued to hang around. She loved the chase but was unsure how to get herself caught. And that dilemma wouldn’t get resolved soon.

Andy seemed like her dream man. He was adept at keeping a conversation going, even though she wasn’t. Plus, he’d seemed curious about his customer in a non-threatening way. He resembled an old friend. The charisma he oozed added to his appeal.

Andy engaged her in conversation despite her ignoring his charm. Thoroughly smitten, she downplayed his attention. Because of that, he seemed to slow the hunt. But he still knocked on her door each evening after the work ended.

Tara had come to expect those knocks. How would she survive once they stopped?

 

 

Review

 

Of all of the books I have read by this author thus far, this is my least favorite. Maybe because I cringed throughout at Luke’s pushiness and Tara’s introverted nature. This did not seem like a love match, and not especially how quickly it happened. I was right to cringe at different scenes, and if Tara had been my friend, I would have been inserting myself into her life more to tell her to slow down. There is no reason to rush any relationship. I know there are those out there who will say that love at first sight can happen, but there were too many red flags, in my opinion.

However, this story is not without its merit in addressing heartache from the death of parents, faith in yourself, and finding love in whatever form it appears. I think it reminds us that we need to have faith in ourselves and even a higher power. There are lessons to be learned from everything in life; we just have to look for that information each day.

Outside of the main characters, there is a myriad of supporting characters that add depth to the story. The characters vary in personality, and there were some that I wasn’t fond of, but all of the characters blended into the story seamlessly. I enjoyed the various relationships between these characters and what they brought to the story.

Overall, the story (and this series) is about hope, and there is hope in this story. It is also about faith, whether that is internal or external. We give this book 3 1/2 paws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

E. C. Jackson began her writing career with the full-length play Pajama Party. Thirty-one years later, she adapted the play into Pajama Party: The Story, a companion book to the second book in the five-book standalone Hope series.

Jackson’s favorite pastime is reading fiction. She enjoys taking the journey along with the characters in the books. That also led to her unorthodox approach to story writing. Her vision for each book she writes is to immerse readers into the storyline so they become connected with each character.

“The Write Way: A Real Slice of Life” is the slogan on her Facebook author page. She feels that if every person reading her books feels connected to the characters, her job is done.

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. They’ve never felt anything like it. It’s the kind of romance people write stories about.

But what kind of story?

Because when it’s good, it’s great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations where the whole world disappears.

When it’s bad, it’s really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants.

But their vicious cycle of catastrophic breakups and head-over-heels reconnections needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy–and she’s a detective.

There’s something Wes and Ivy never talk about–in good times or bad. The night of their worst breakup, when one of them took things too far, and someone ended up dead.

If they can stick together, they can survive anything–even the tightening net of a police investigation.

Because one more breakup might just be their last…

 

 

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Review

 

There are no redeemable characters in this book! They all have major issues and are twisted in their own way.

Wes and Ivy…I have no idea what to say about these two. They met in college and have been in an off and on again relationship since then. When one does something the other doesn’t like, there is retaliation of some sort. It is like they never grew up and continue to play games that young people would play.

Karen is a police officer investigating Ivy’s claim that Wes might be stalking her. Ivy reported it because she was mad. However, Karen believes there is more to this relationship and story than anyone knows and decides to do a deep dive into their past and other reports that have been filed. The truth may not be something we want to know.

Biana may come across as a mild-mannered administrative assistant, but she has her own dark side. I felt bad for her when she was attacked by a co-worker. The end result was not pretty.

This story really comes off as a train wreck and is very different from this author’s past works. I didn’t like this one as much as the others…but, as I mentioned, it is like a train wreck, and I can’t look away.

We give it 3 1/2 paws.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Samantha Downing currently lives in New Orleans, where she is furiously typing away at her next thrilling novel.

 

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Synopsis

 

Art, math, obsession, and greed. An artist who confesses to murders through her drawings and a marginalized drifter involved in computer crime have their paths collide in Montana while both are struggling to make amends for past failures in love. Part Montana wilderness, part techno, and part misdirected love, Paper Targets is a story of confessed secrets. But more than crime, Paper Targets is infused with nature and solitude and unpacks questions about why people sometimes do bad things. Based on the actual fringe events of two of the world’s largest criminal frauds: the collapse of WorldCom and Enron.

Enzi, a drop-out and drifting runaway, becomes a criminal computer hacker who then falls in love with Kaori, an artist. When Kaori later confesses through her paintings to murder, Enzi starts questioning everything he has ever done. But as Enzi tries to extricate himself from the violent men he has become indebted to, he is pressured to keep “pounding code.” While Enzi plans his escape, he is forced to look inside for answers about his motivations.

 

 

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Review

 

This is a literary fiction novel that centers around Enzi.

The book starts off with his formative years, his home life, and the fact that he is dyslexic. We learn later in the book that he never learned to write and spells things phonetically. So it is somewhat surprising that he is now a computer programmer. He does love math and has learned how to look for patterns. Perhaps, his dyslexia is words only.

The story is told in first person, and the first few chapters (and they are long chapters) center around his life before this job as a programmer. However, when the transition occurs, we have no idea how he landed in this field until even later in the book. I felt disconnected from the character and had a hard time understanding what was happening. The story does start to flow when we meet Kaori, an artist that tells stories through her paintings. She is from Tokyo and has a different outlook on life and relationships. I don’t think Enzi had any idea what he was getting himself into when he bailed her out of jail. I don’t think any of us knew what was going to happen!

There are many fascinating supporting characters. Tsai is a fast-talking individual from Texas who wants Enzi to exploit the software he wrote for Tsai’s gain. There is also the bail bondsman, Pascal, that decides to take a step outside of his normal pattern when it comes to dealing with criminals. And, of course, Kaori. She has an outlook on life that doesn’t gel with what most people think, and is she capable of normalcy or not?

This book moves at a slow pace, and it is more about the human character than anything else. I noticed that there is a thriller label on this book. I wouldn’t count this as a mystery, suspense, or thriller. It has psychological aspects in understanding all of the characters and how they fit together.

This was an interesting read, and we give it 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Steve Saroff was a 14-year-old runaway who started and sold several software companies to public companies. He is the host of the popular podcast ‘Montana Voice,’ and the author of numerous traditionally published short stories, first printed in Redbook, as well as several books.

 

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Synopsis

 

After two heartbreaking losses, Luna wants adventure. Something and somewhere very different from the affluent, sheltered home in California and Hawaii where she grew up. An adventure in which she can also make some difference. She ends up in a place steeped in an ancient culture and a deadly history.

Raised by her grandmother in a Honolulu suburb, she moves to her parent’s home in California at thirteen and meets her brothers for the first time. Grandma persuades her to write a journal whenever she’s lonely or overwhelmed as a substitute for someone to whom she could reveal her intimate thoughts.

Lucien, a worldly, well-traveled young architect, finds a stranger’s journal at a café. He has qualms and pangs of guilt about reading it. But they don’t stop him. His decision to go on reading changes his life.

Months later, they meet at a bookstore where Luna works and which Lucien frequents. Fascinated by his stories and his adventurous spirit, Luna volunteers for the Peace Corps. Assigned to Cambodia, she lives with a family whose parents are survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide forty years earlier. What she goes through in a rural rice-growing village defies anything she could have imagined. Will she leave this world unscathed?

Inspired by the healing effects of writing, this is an epistolary tale of love—between an idealistic young woman and her grandmother and between the young woman and a young architect. It’s a tale of courage, resilience of the human spirit, and the bonds that bring diverse people together.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Prologue

 

Ov’s thin upper body is slumped over his crossed legs, his forehead resting on the platform. His brown, wiry arms lie limp, the right one extended forward, hand dangling over the edge of the platform. Dried blood is splattered on his head, and on the collar, right shoulder, and back of his old short-sleeved white shirt.

It seems fitting that he died where he used to spend most of his time when he wasn’t on the rice fields—sitting on a corner of the bamboo platform in the ceiling-high open space under the house. It’s where you get refreshing breezes most afternoons, after a long day of work.

The policeman looks down at Ov’s body as if he’s unsure what to do next. He lays down his camera and the gun in a plastic bag at one end of the platform untainted by splatters of gelled blood.

He steps closer to the body, anchors himself with one knee on top of the platform, and bends over the body. Hooking his arms underneath Ov’s shoulders and upper arms, he pulls the body up, and carefully lays it on its back. He straightens the legs.

He steps off the platform. Stands still for a few seconds to catch his breath. He turns to us and says, “It’s clear what has happened. I have all the pictures I need.”

He points to his camera, maybe to make sure we understand. We have watched him in silence, three zombies still in shock. Me, standing across the bamboo platform from him. Mae and Jorani sitting, tense and quiet, on the hammock to my left.

Is that it? Done already? I want to ask him: Will he have the body taken away for an autopsy? I suppose that’s what is routinely done everywhere in cases like this. But I don’t know enough Khmer.

As if he sensed my unspoken question, he glances at me. A quick glance that comes with a frown. He seems perplexed and chooses to ignore me.

He addresses the three of us, like a captain addressing his troop. “You can clean up.”

The lingering frown on his brow softens into sympathy. He’s gazing at Jorani, whose mournful eyes remain downcast. He looks away and turns toward Mae. Pressing his hands together, he bows to her. A deeper one than the first he gave her when she and Jorani arrived.

He utters Khmer words too many and too fast for me to understand. From the furrowed brow and the look in his eyes, I assume they are words of sympathy. He bows a third time, and turns to go back to where he placed the gun and camera. He picks them up and walks away.

For a moment or two, I stare at the figure of the policeman walking away. Then I turn to Jorani. Call him back. Don’t we have questions? I can ask and you can translate, if you prefer. But seeing her and Mae sitting as still and silent as rocks, hands on their laps, and eyes glazed as if to block out what’s in front of them, the words get trapped in my brain. Their bodies, rigid just moments before, have gone slack, as if to say: What else can anyone do? What’s done cannot be undone. All that’s left is to clean up, as the policeman said. Get on with our lives.

My gaze wanders again toward the receding figure of the policeman on the dirt road, the plastic bag with the gun dangling in his right hand. Does it really matter how Cambodian police handles Ov’s suicide? I witnessed it. I know the facts. And didn’t I read a while back how Buddhism frowns upon violations on the human body? The family might object against cutting up Ov—the way I’ve seen on TV crime shows—just to declare with certainty what caused his death.

I take in a long breath. I have done all I can and must defer to Cambodian beliefs and customs.

But I can’t let it go yet. Ov chose to end his life in a violent way and I’m curious: Do the agonies of his last moments show on his face? I steal another look.

All I could gather, from where I stand, is life has definitely gone out of every part of him. His eyes are closed and immobile. The tic on his inanimate cheeks hasn’t left a trace. The tic that many times was the only way I could tell he had feelings. Feelings he tried to control or hide. Now, his face is just an expressionless brown mask. Maybe everyone really has a spirit, a soul that rises out of the body when one dies, leaving a man-size mass of clay.

I stare at Ov’s body, lying in a darkened, dried pool of his own blood, bits of his skull and brain scattered next to his feet where his head had been. At that moment, it hits me that this would be the image of Ov I will always remember. I shudder.

My legs begin to buckle underneath me and I turn around, regretting that last look. With outstretched hands, I take a step toward the hammock. Jorani rises to grab my hands, and she helps me sit down next to Mae.

Could I ever forget? Could Mae and Jorani? Would the image of Ov in a pool of blood linger in their memories like it would in mine?

I know I could never tell my parents what happened here this afternoon. But could I tell Lucien? The terrible shock of watching someone, in whose home I found a family, fire a gun to his head? And the almost as horrifying realization—looking back—that I knew what he was going to do, but I hesitated for a few seconds to stop him.

 

 

Review

 

I’m not sure what genre to place this book in. Part of it is a romance, part family, and part is a young woman’s journey to find herself.

The book starts with a flash of the future, and from this prologue, it seems like it will be more like a suspense novel. That is not the case since Luna’s character doesn’t end up in Cambodia until very close to the end. However, it does set up an intriguing scenario that is fully revealed later.

Luna has struggled for most of her life. She grew up with her grandmother for many years, which forged a close relationship between the two. I loved how they were like two peas in a pod and seemed to understand each other better than the grandmother’s daughters. I loved the mango tree in the backyard and how it was the grandmother’s refuge. There is a lot of symbolism that could be derived from those thoughts.

Lucien had his issues as a younger man, but when he stumbles across Luna’s journal in the coffee shop, it opens up a new world for him. It isn’t that she had exotic travels or adventures, but the heartfelt words she shared touched him. He felt like he knew her before he ever met her. I enjoyed watching their friendship unfold. It takes courage to create a journal that details your life and share it with someone you have just met.

This novel is about finding yourself in this crazy world. Many struggle with discovering their place in this world, but sometimes it is easier with someone by your side walking the same path with you. I felt immersed in their lives as I read the journal entries and had a better grasp of who Luna and Lucien were as people. Everyone has their own journey and story to tell. It is all about finding the right person to share it with.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Evy Journey writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’s also a wannabe artist and a flâneuse.

Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D., University of Illinois). So her fiction spins tales about nuanced characters dealing with contemporary life issues and problems. She believes in love and its many faces.

Her one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere, and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has visited and stayed a few months at a time.

 

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Synopsis

 

Visions of her Cherokee grandmother, Cordie, flashed through Mary’s mind as her mother, Marguerite, informed her that her stepfather shot himself and was in the hospital. Oh no! Did she use me last night? She’d never use her scapegoat! No, she couldn’t! Even Marguerite wouldn’t sink that low! Or would she? Marguerite had always been abusive and vile to most people, and especially to her children and husbands, but would she shoot Paul? Chills raked Mary and triggered her shuddering. Was she more shocked that her mother shot her stepfather with murderous intent, or that she left Mary as her alibi?

 

 

 

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Review

 

This short story shares the horrors one woman went through growing up with a mentally unstable mother. While reading this, it made me grateful for my family. I couldn’t imagine the horrors this woman and her siblings endured at the hands of their mother. Mary seemed to be targeted the most by her mother, with no real understanding of why.

More and more stories like this come to light daily, making me sad for those who endured abuse from their parents or other family members. It is hard for me to understand or grasp that people can do this to someone they supposedly love.

Despite her upbringing, Mary is able to break free from the negativity in her life. It isn’t easy, and she doesn’t get it right immediately. But she moves forward with her life. I can only imagine the horror of being the “alibi” for her mother, whose husband is found shot. While nothing is ever confirmed, it is suspected that her mother shot him.

This is a gritty book, but it shares her story. There are photos included of her siblings, grandparents, and other celebrations in her life.

I did feel like the story was scattered and seemed to wander in places, but overall is a solid testament to her strength.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

“Chills raked Mary and triggered her shuddering. Was she more shocked that her mother shot her stepfather with murderous intent, or that she left Mary as her alibi?”

 

Before I get to this shooting, I want to fill in background so that you understand sociopathic people and the rage they can present to another person or persons. My mother was a sociopath. Her rage was uncontrolled, and she acted fast, aggressively, and with vengeance. It’s important for the reader to have a full background.    

As I grew up, I wanted to believe that my mother was a good mother, but sadly that never happened, she never was. My mother, Marguerite, always seemed to think that she was the best mother, perfect even, but not all mothers are made the same as I found out from a very young age.

I remember my second Christmas at age two years. We had a cedar Christmas tree with lights and tinsel.  Somehow, I found some small, glass Christmas lights and I had them in my hands. No one stopped me. Possibly no one noticed. I took my pretty treasures and sat behind the heating stove in our small house on North Grand Avenue. For some reason only a two-year-old would understand, I put one of the light bulbs in my mouth and bit it down. I broke the glass, and I didn’t get hurt, and I thought oh that was a cool sound and so I broke the other one in my mouth! My mother, older brother and sister were in the same room, and my mother found me bleeding from my mouth behind the heating stove. She went into a ballistic rage! I was in trouble. She beat my butt and yelled at me all the way to the hospital in Lyons, KS, and she was quiet only while my stomach was pumped. No glass was left inside me, and I had one little cut on my tongue, and no stitches needed. I will never forget her rage at me, and that is probably why I remember the incident.

 

 

About the Author

 

Mary L. Schmidt writes under her given name and a pen name, S. Jackson, along with her husband Michael, pen name A Raymond. She grew up in a small Kansas (USA) town and has lived in more than one state since then. At this time, Mary and her husband split their time between homes in Kansas and Colorado as they love the mountains and off-road four-wheeling. Traveling is one of their most favorite things to do and Mary always has a book to read on her Kindle. Books are one of her favorite things. When she was younger, it seemed like every time she turned around, a new library card was needed due to the current one being stamped complete. Diving into a good book made any day perfect, and you would be surprised at the number of books she read over and over.

As a child, Mary drew paper dolls, and clothes for them, using watercolor as her medium when painting scenes, especially flowers. She continued with art in high school exploring a wide variety of mediums such as jewelry making, ceramics, leather works, drawing, painting and more! Her creative loves to be an amateur shutterbug and she has an online art gallery.

In college, she went into the sciences and received a bachelor’s degree in the Science of Nursing. Throughout her nursing career, Michael assisted Mary in her work with The American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, Cub and Boy Scouts, and sponsored children alongside his wife on music trips. Mary’s nursing career was highly successful, and she hung up her nursing hat in December 2012.

Mary and Michael love to read, fish, play poker, go Jeeping, and travel, especially to visit their grandson, Austin, and granddaughter, Emma.

 

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Synopsis

 

After his wife’s betrayal, Mark jumps on the first flight out, heading for Central America. He soon joins Aaron, a South African dive master, and Kendal, a quirky fellow American.

But their friendships get more complicated by the day.

Kendal finds Mark’s needy misery a welcome diversion from her problems. Her husband, Charlie, is thirty years her senior and dying, and Kendal has sought solace in the arms of Charlie’s best friend, Aaron.

Charlie may be dying, but he’s not blind, and his tickle of suspicion becomes an unbearable scratch. He’s always been Kendal’s protector, and now he must struggle with his illness and the risks of finding out the truth.

Funny, heartwarming, and tragic, this poignant story is ultimately about love, survival, and redemption as Mark, Kendal, and Aaron navigate the rough seas of life.

 

 

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Review

 

Life changes bring together this cast of characters to Belize, where the weather is warm, and the drinks are cold. There might even be some fish involved.

This merry band of characters’ lives intertwines whether they meant it to or not. They have formed friendships and relationships and care about one another despite everything. They may not admit it, but they do. The descriptions are breathtaking, which isn’t surprising considering the Belize setting. I can only imagine settling there, taking life one moment at a time, and not worrying about much of anything. While life isn’t finite, they are all living it to the fullest, or at least to the best of their ability.

I’m not sure if any one character stood out. They all have their flaws but are endearing at the same time. I am fascinated by Kendal’s business of creating jewelry with precious stones. It sounds intriguing, if not labor intensive.

The only thing I did not like about this book was the author’s notes at the end of each chapter. It interrupted the flow of the story for me. While some of the information was intriguing, I often skipped over that portion.

This is an enjoyable story, and we give it 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Karen Winters Schwartz wrote her first truly good story at age seven. Forty-five years later her professional writing career finally began in 2010, when the first of three widely praised novels, Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?, Reis’s Pieces, and The Chocolate Debacle were published by Goodman Beck Publishing. Red Adept Publishing released Legend of the Lost Ass in 2020, and her latest novel The Vast Clear Blue in 2023. Both are richly emotional stories about love and relationships and take place in the exotic setting of Belize.

Educated at The Ohio State University, Karen and her husband moved to the Central New York Finger Lakes region where they raised two daughters and shared a career in optometry. She now splits her time between Arizona, a small village in Belize, and traveling the earth in search of the many creatures with whom she has the honor of sharing this world.

 

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Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Maine
Berkley (April 4, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

 

Synopsis

 

In a fresh new Maine-set cozy from author Sherry Lynn, Kinsley Clark must root out a killer before the killer roots out her.

At twenty-nine, Kinsley Clark is living the dream life she always envisioned for herself. She’s the proud owner of SeaScapes, a thriving landscaping company in wealthy Harborside, set on the rugged coast of southern Maine. Kinsley’s veins are filled with salty air, a myriad of colors, and the fragrance of fresh blooms. But one afternoon, while working at her aunt Tilly’s bed-and-breakfast, the Salty Breeze Inn, Kinsley digs up more than she bargained for—a high-heeled shoe. The once sparkly shoe, now caked in mud, is linked to a case the police had appropriately dubbed the “Cinderella Murder.”

Kinsley panics. Does this mean that her aunt and the inn are somehow connected to this murder? Will it scare away potential guests? Will it subject the inn to a rush of bad press? With Aunt Tilly’s reputation, and possibly her safety, on the line, Kinsley digs deeper into the crime to find out what the shoe was doing on her aunt’s property and who murdered Cinderella, whose real name is Daisy. As she investigates, more suspects rise to the surface, and eventually, Kinsley has to weed out a killer.

 

 

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Review

 

This new series will have you craving “lobstah” rolls and the scenic view of Maine. Just watch out for the dead bodies.

I always enjoy starting a new series to see what the author will bring to the table in regard to characters, settings, mystery, and small towns. The mystery starts off with a bang, but you don’t know why a shoe has been buried at the Salty Breeze Inn. Kinsley dives right into deciphering clues and trying to unroot the killer. The author does a great job of throwing red herrings into the mix. There is one character that really stands out as the potential murderer, but it just happens to be circumstantial. The true murderer was quite a surprise.

Since this is a new series, I don’t have a connection to the characters yet. I’m on the fence regarding Kinsley. She seems nice enough, but she is a little rough around the edges in this first book. I’m sure her character will continue to grow and become more well-rounded. There are a variety of characters that play an integral part in the story, but they seem a bit awkward too. But this is the first book, so I suspect the author will continue to expand their character.

I did love all of the plant talk, and I could imagine them in my mind with bursts of color decorating the landscape. I admire those that can garden because I cannot.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up and look forward to seeing how the characters and town expand.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Sherry Lynn spent countless summers on the coast of Maine, knowing she’d one day return to write about the magical location from her youth. Curious by nature, sleuthing became the perfect fit for her, and she has written multiple cozy mystery series under several pseudonyms. Currently, Sherry lives in the Midwest with her husband, but she dreams about one day retiring oceanside with a good book in her hand.

 

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Giveaway

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

SANDS OF TIME TRILOGY

 

by

 

C.J. PETERSON

 

 

Young Adult / Christian Fiction / Science Fiction

Publisher: Texas Sisters Press

SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

 

 

 

 

Appointed Time

 

All we have in this life is the time we are granted. Like sands of the seashore, our lives depend on where we land. Some grains of sand land in an oyster and are turned into beautiful pearls. Some land in the bottom of the sea floor and become beds for bottom feeders.

Blake and Holly Hunt and Adam and Deanna Roth all were created for a purpose by Professor Noah Roth. There were many years the genetic manipulation did not allow the babies to be viable…until the four. He had big plans for the children. Two nurses, Ben and Grace, had a different idea.

This is a tale of two sets of gifted children. One pair raised in a caring environment and taught to strengthen their gift with love and respect. Meanwhile, the others were raised under the strict and abusive conditions set by Professor Roth. When Deanna and Blake, raised by Professor Roth, are set free to retrieve the other two by whatever means necessary, chaos ensues. The first explosion will take place in a quiet little East Texas town called Willow Bend.

 

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Race Against Time

 

Professor Noah Roth is possessive of his children – the children he created by genetic manipulation. When Ben and Hope took Holly and Blake to give them a better life, they knew their days were numbered. Continuously looking over their shoulders, they still missed it when the Clinic made their move by sending a group, along with two gifted, after them.

Adam and Deanna Roth thought they were on the right side of things until they ran into the other two gifted – Holly and Blake. Presented with another perspective, Deanna and Adam agree to help Holly, Blake, and Sheriff Wyatt rescue Hope and Ben — if they help Deanna and Adam rescue the other siblings still under the control of Professor Roth.

As the five head toward Maine, the youth group kids who become close to Blake and Holly decide to help by doing research. Unbeknownst to the kids, they stumble onto information the Clinic did not want out. After their homes are invaded, each of the kids must make a choice – join the others in the rescue attempt or stay home, putting their families in danger. Will they make it in time to help the others or will they be too late? It’s a race against time!

 

 

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Out of Time

 

With the Maine Facility teens released and the Willow Bend teens safely tucked away, the next phase is to rescue the kids from the Wyoming and Oregon Facilities.

Colby is driving Holly, Blake, and Adam to the Wyoming Facility. Meanwhile, Wyatt is driving Deanna, Eddie, and Freya to the Oregon facility. Both teams are unaware The Professor is waiting for them with plans in place. With both facilities in lockdown, will the teens be able to rescue their siblings? Will Hope pull through from the damage inflicted by Professor Roth? Are the Willow Bend teens, Gemma, Bells, and Hope, safe all the way over in Philadelphia, or are they still a target? Everyone must be ready for this mental chess game. Moves and countermoves are being made. Calculations are continuously changing. Who will come out the victor? Will it be The Professor or the teens? Can the teens succeed, or are they out of time?

 

 

 

 

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I am reviewing the first book in this trilogy, Appointed Time. This YA novel has a lot happening within the pages, centering around Holly and Blake, two infants that were taken from a facility with a maniacal professor that has taken great strides to manipulate the genetic code.

While the book spans 16 years, most of the story occurs when Holly and Blake are 16 years old. They have been homeschooled all of their life and are just now truly meeting other teens. This is also when the action picks up, as the two are targeted by two other teens, Deanna and Adam, left behind when Ben and Grace leave the compound in Maine with them to save them from what they knew would be a traumatic childhood.

I found this book to be fast-paced, especially near the end. I was intrigued by the plot and wondered how I would adapt if someone had changed my genetic code before I was born and I had remarkable skills. Holly and Blake are also learning more that will impact their lives. Holly is a sensitive soul, and her first foray into church with her mother brings about a very emotional response when she learns about the death of Jesus and the events surrounding it. While most of us take these stories for granted, imagine what it is like to hear them for the first time and how they might impact your way of thinking. The two also meet members of the opposite sex that interest them. That is a new set of issues because they have never dated before, and considering the threat their life is under, it isn’t a typical dating situation.

I appreciated the clean storyline, even with the relationship between Grace and Wyatt. Wyatt came into their lives when the kids were 1, and he couldn’t find any information on Ben. He had to be told the whole story to keep things under wraps and not be discovered by the professor or anyone he hired to find them. This starts a 15-year romance between the two.

The book leaves you hanging, which is to be expected since it is a trilogy. I don’t want to spoil too much since the best part of the book is the last third, when the action picks up, but I am curious about what will happen if they find the professor and the other children that were genetically manipulated.

While I enjoyed the book, I do wish that we had more of a backstory on Ben and Grace. All we know is that they are nurses in the clinic but nothing about their past or families. Plus, an old boyfriend of Grace’s shows up in Willow Bend, and he lives in Dallas. Where were they living when they dated? Grace was in Maine before coming to Texas, and there is a mention of an uncle in Louisiana. Also, what happened to Helena, Hope’s sister? Hope dies giving birth to Holly, and Helena just seems to fade away after the first few chapters. Also, how did Holly get her name? Hope told Helena to name her Holly but died before the child was born, and there is no mention of Helena telling anyone to name her Holly, yet that is the name on her birth certificate.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

C.J. Peterson is a ten-time award-winning, multi-genre published author since 2012. She is also a podcaster, blogger, and publisher who knows how to relate well to folks of all ages. C.J. and her husband currently run a hybrid publishing company, Texas Sisters Press, LLC, which CJ and her sisters founded in 2019.

She has authored multiple series including the Grace Restored Series, the Holy Flame Trilogy, the Divine Legacy Series, the Sands of Time Trilogy, the Adventures of Chief and Sarge, plus her recently released time travel book with a twist, Chain Reaction!

 

“While the stories are fiction, the journey is real.”

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Jason Brinkman’s career at a big Los Angeles law firm is over because he refused to sleep with his senior partner. He’s moved to sleepy Sea Cliff on California’s Central Coast to begin again. He has a struggling solo law practice and a promising romance. When kids discover a body in a storm drain, his new life begins to unravel.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Jason was about to open the e-mail from The Totten Trust Bank of New York when he heard pounding on his office door. He went to it, flipped the lock, and stood aside.

Rory stormed in, eyes burning and face flushed. She ripped off her baseball cap. “Brinkman, you fucker, you’re trying to screw me out of my father’s money!”

“I’m not trying to—”

“My partner’s an FBI agent—”

“I don’t want your—”

“And the FBI will hit you like a ton of bricks if you steal a dime!”

Rory was four inches shorter than Jason, but stretched on her toes, she was very much in his face. Her whole body shook and her cheeks turned scarlet as she raged at him. “Goddamn shyster lawyer…stealing my money…I trusted you…I earned it…you can’t imagine what I went through…he owes me….” Specks of spittle flew from her mouth. Her breath, normally sweet, reeked of stomach acid.

Jason let her rant until she ran out of steam. When she finally took a breath, he said, “I was dog-tired yesterday afternoon. Up all the night before, and then had an early court appearance in Santa Luisa. I went home and slept.” He put both hands on her shoulders and pushed down hard, until she stood flat-footed. Holding her at arm’s length, he said, “Anyway, we both hold the keys to the puzzle, as you point out.”

The tension ebbed slowly from her body and her usual air of self-confidence began to return. “Like Frodo and Gollum in Lord of the Rings,” she muttered. She wore a black warm-up suit and running shoes, and unlike the other times he’d seen her, seemed unconcerned about her appearance. Although he was certain he was free from her spell, he couldn’t deny she was stunning even in drab athletic gear.

He beckoned her to follow him around the bookcase to his desk. “I did start to contact some of the banks,” he began as they walked.

“What?” she shrieked. “You just told me—”

“Christ, Rory, will you let me explain! I wanted to see what kind of responses I’d get.” He turned to face her, speaking patiently. “Banks have so many privacy restrictions these days, and we don’t have anything to prove we’re entitled to access Geraldo’s accounts.”

“Uh-huh,” she said with an edge in her voice, “so what’d you find out? Anything useful?”

“Pretty much what I expected. We need a password or some kind of authorization. Here. See for yourself.” He gave her his handwritten list.

“Your writing’s too hard to read.”

“Alright, I’ll translate. The first one is Commerce Bank, and they require a power of attorney or a court order. The next is Farmers & Mechanics….” He read the rest of the list.

“There’s no way Geraldo gave you power of attorney or any kind of authorization.”

“You’re right. No way.”

“How long will it take to get a court order?”

“A couple of weeks after I file the papers.”

“Why so long? I can’t…don’t want to wait forever.”

“It may be longer,” he said. “I heard the Probate Judge just retired.”

“Well, why can’t we figure out the passwords? We have Geraldo’s alphanumeric code.”

“That’s ten characters,” Jason said, thinking out loud. “Passwords can be any length, but they’re usually six or eight, and we don’t know which six or eight he’d have used for any particular bank. Or, whether he’d have mixed numbers and letters, or capitals and lower case. Or, used fewer characters.”

“Can’t we just try different combinations?”

“Yeah, we could try that…maybe on one of the banks that doesn’t seem important…but you probably get just one bite of the apple in this kind of situation.”

“You mean where strangers are trying to get information about a dead person’s account?”

“Exactly.”

 

 

Review

 

This mystery has many twists and turns that kept me wondering what could possibly happen next, who killed Geraldo, and would Jason keep his ethics and morals in check.

The book is peppered with a variety of characters from the despicable to endearing, but mostly on the former end of the scale. However, all of these characters make the book flow and adds dimension to the storyline. Plus, it gives you a lot of suspects!

I felt for Jason and everything that he was going through with his soon to be ex, the woman he was dating, his law practice, and just life in general. He knows what he wants and doesn’t want, and in the end, will he get it or will he do the right thing? This is one of those moments where you have no idea what I’m talking about and I can’t really say much more because it would spoil the ending.

The story does take some time to reveal all of the details, yet the book leaves us hanging without any real resolution. We know how the murder happened and a few other details, but it left me with more questions than answers. Perhaps the author was setting this up to have a sequel?

There could be some triggers if that sort of thing has an effect on you when reading from child pornography and drug use are two main ones.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jack Cameron is a retired lawyer who lives on California’s Central Coast with his wife and two cats. He spent his career writing about the crises or issue of the moment and now writes mysteries and short stories. He always imagined having a solo law practice in a small town like Sea Cliff, the setting for The Storm Drain Murder.

 

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​A Dress the Color of the Moon by Jennifer Irwin

Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 360 pages

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Glass Spider Publishing

 

 

Synopsis

 

Prudence Aldrich is a sex addict. Five weeks ago, she checked into the Serenity Hills rehab center to prevent that addiction from ruining every important relationship in her life. Now Prue must face the trail of destruction she left behind, including mending the broken bond with her teenage son, finalizing the divorce from her husband, Nick, and using a newly learned set of skills to ward off her insatiable cravings for male attention-a compulsion that puts her friendship with lifelong pal Lily to the test.

​Adding ever further complications to the hurdles in her path is the arrival into town of Alistair Prescott, her in-rehab romantic obsession, and the one person in the world most capable of throwing Prue off her recovery. Meanwhile, Serenity Hills counselor Mike Sullivan is undergoing a crisis of his own-one that will drive him to the rediscovery of a lifelong passion . . . and causing him to cross paths again with Prue, his former patient.

A Dress the Color of the Moon tracks the rocky and sometimes disastrous path to recovery-a recovery that will require Prudence and her friends to face down the demons of their pasts while learning to accept the fearful uncertainty that comes with living life on your own two feet.

 

 

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Review

 

If you have ever had an addiction or known someone with an addiction, you might know the struggles that it presents. This book explores Prudence’s struggle to overcome her sex addiction after a stay at a rehab clinic. While I cannot relate to Prue’s issues, I could understand how she struggled with eliminating all from her life that could tempt her and undo all of the work she achieved during rehab. She isn’t 100% successful and puts friendships in jeopardy because she has a hard time with impulse control.

I did think that Prue didn’t try too hard to control her instincts. At times she might have, but there are plenty of other times sprinkled throughout the book that made me wonder if she wanted to overcome her addiction.

I admired her best friend, Lily, for pulling no punches when it came to Prue. She doesn’t accept the pity party that Prue is throwing for herself, and she tells her to get her act together. All this despite what Prue tried to do with Lily’s husband. I think we all need that person in our life that doesn’t accept lame excuses.

There are some other characters that Prue meets at rehab that make an impact on her life, at least for that short period of time. However, they all have their own issues to deal with, and is connecting with each other outside of rehab the best idea? Maybe, but maybe not.

Since I didn’t read book one, I appreciated the jumps in time to share part of Prue’s past. It gave me a better understanding of her psyche.

This was an interesting book that reminds me to accept life and those around me with grace and acceptance…but not the BS.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jennifer Irwin’s debut novel, A Dress the Color of the Sky, was published in 2017 and has received rave reviews, won seven book awards, and was optioned for a feature film. Jennifer’s short stories have appeared in numerous literary publications, including California’s Emerging Writers: An Anthology of Fiction. Jennifer is represented by Prentis Literary and currently resides in Los Angeles.

 

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