Genre: Humorous Literary Fiction Publisher: Boldface Books Date of Publication: June 7, 2016 Number of Pages: 270 You’re never too old to learn—or too young Good-looking, good-hearted Charley Bristow’s the most sought-after hair stylist in five West Texas counties. He’s an expert on the dance floor and sharp at the pool tables, too—but when it comes to picking cars, dogs, and women, luck hasn’t quite gone his way lately. And there’s the ever-present worry over his mother, whose own trailer-park plight he’d just as soon steer clear of. Just when he’s sworn off temptation of the female sort, an evening at the local honky-tonk drives two prime targets right into his path. Weighing the sudden wealth of options in his love life, while also searching for the right choice of wheels to suit his needs, Charley stumbles upon a long-hidden secret and an unforeseen road to redemption. The colorful denizens of the Wild Hare Salon, Jarod’s Automotive, and Hopper’s nightclub, along with those of the Briargrove First Methodist Church and the Sulfur Gap Centennial Celebration, will two-step their way right into your heart, to music as familiar as Willie Nelson and Charley Pride. And you just might start to fall in love with an old Johnny Mercer tune, too, as Charley Bristow faces his past and embraces the challenge of his future. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE War hero John Puller is known to be the top investigator in the US Army’s CID. So when a family with military connections is brutally murdered in a remote area of West Virginia, Puller is called to investigate, and soon suspects the case has wider implications. As the body count rises he teams up with local homicide detective Samantha Cole. As the web of deceit is revealed, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s much more to this case than they had first thought. It is an investigation where nothing is as it seems, and nothing can be taken at face value. Hardcover, 434 pages Published October 31st 2011 by Grand Central Publishing Current GoodReads Rating: 3.97 Stars My ReviewIt was high intensity and constant drama, but I was very disappointed in how easily the author killed off the romantic edge to the story without a drawn out sympathy. To me that would have been a happy ending, but I guess the author and I have different priorities.
7/29/2016 SUMMER VACATION The Adventures of Mackenzie and Cristen by Belinda Everette Review + GiveawayRead NowGenre: Middle Grade / Contemporary Fiction Date of Publication: June 12, 2016 # of pages: 70 It's the beginning of summer and Uncle Mike and Aunt Melanie invite Mackenzie for an extended summer vacation in their hometown of Houston, Texas. On the first day, Mackenzie finds her cousins, Cristen and Chloe, helping their parents prepare a special meal. Come and learn about the holiday and celebration of Juneteenth with this first book in The Adventures of Mackenzie and Cristen, a cultural journey of joy, family, and fun! Summer Vacation is the first installment in The Adventures of Mackenzie and Cristen, a five part journey of family love and fun. Each adventure finds the cousins learning history, exploring cultural themes and traditions, and discovering the joy in the world around them. CLICK TO PURCHASE: Amazon PayPal The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within these nocturnal black-and-white striped tents awaits an utterly unique, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stare in wonderment as the tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and become deliciously tipsy from the scents of caramel and cinnamon that waft through the air. Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way--a contest between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in a "game" to which they have been irrevocably bound by their mercurial masters. Unbeknownst to the players, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. As the circus travels around the world, the feats of magic gain fantastical new heights with every stop. The game is well under way and the lives of all those involved--the eccentric circus owner, the elusive contortionist, the mystical fortune-teller, and a pair of red-headed twins born backstage among them--are swept up in a wake of spells and charms. But when Celia discovers that Marco is her adversary, they begin to think of the game not as a competition but as a wonderful collaboration. With no knowledge of how the game must end, they innocently tumble headfirst into love. A deep, passionate, and magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. Their masters still pull the strings, however, and this unforeseen occurrence forces them to intervene with dangerous consequences, leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance. Both playful and seductive, The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern's spell-casting debut, is a mesmerizing love story for the ages. Hardcover, First Edition, 387 pages Published September 13th 2011 by Doubleday Current GoodReads Rating: 4.02 Stars My ReviewGenre: Political Suspense Publisher: Dead Tree Date of Publication: June 30, 2016 Number of Pages: 266 “Doing the right thing means you don’t eat” So begins the sweltering narrative of District Manager, Mason Dixon, a haunted man serving Texas House District 100. After a constituent reaches out to his office with disturbing information about twisted activities going on in district, Mason finds himself drawn into a game of cat and mouse with a malevolent entity. While these events unfold, Mason begins dating a county judge’s assistant. Brenna is a single mother who is ready to start the next chapter of her life. Can she and the stoical Mason connect? Or will she become collateral damage to his unorthodox, occupational hazards? Mason soon finds that the danger has reached the highest ranks of the district, and that the century-old structure where he offices is not haunted, but instead possessed by an all too real menace. Can a man who is profoundly broken restore order when the very core of order itself has been corrupted? “Matt Minor knows Texas politics from the inside, and he weaves a devious tale of deceit and death and even a little romance. Buckle your seat belt and hang on for the ride.” — Bill Crider CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE Genre: Contemporary Inspirational Romance / Christian Publisher: Revell Date of Publication: July 5, 2016 Number of Pages: 320 Love and Politics Collide in This Emotion-Packed Fourth Texas Gold Novel Kellie Coates Gilbert strikes gold once again in the latest book in the Texas Gold Collection. Readers will be drawn into the story through Gilbert’s deeply emotional writing that highlights the complexities of human relationships. Out of her desire to care for her mother who is suffering from dementia, Leta Breckenridge drops out of college. Her next step means leaving her comfort zone. After learning that a delinquent account may force her mother into a less desirable facility, Leta takes a leap and lands a high-paying job at an Austin public relations firm. But her dream job soon turns into a nightmare when she learns that the firm she is working for is a front for a political opposition organization—and that the research she has been collecting will be used against Nathan Emerson, the handsome senator she’s swiftly falling in love with. Nathan is a rising political star being pressured to run a bid to unseat the current governor of Texas. He’s already in a relationship with a woman much better suited to be a politician’s wife, but he’s never met anyone like Leta. Could this feisty woman hold the key to his heart—and his future? AMAZON CHRISTIANBOOK.COM BARNES & NOBLE BAKER RETAIL My ReviewFor sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game. To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high. Paperback, 296 pages Published July 1st 2014 by HarperTeen Current Goodreads Rating: 4.04 Stars My ReviewA light-hearted love story. It is not bogged down with sexual tension and steamy innuendos, but is full of sweet innocent flirting and rough housing. It’s about a tomboy who thinks she needs to become more feminine to get a boy, who realizes she was perfect the way she was. I love her brothers interactions in this story either ganging up to throw her in a lake or approaching her new preppy boyfriend looking as she says “constipated” trying to intimidate him then laughing at themselves at just how badly they tried to pull off looking mean. The story sets up a fun atmosphere as she not only realizes she doesn’t need to change in order to find love, but also that she can be honest with friends as well and they will love her just the same. This title is brilliant. You might have been able to guess from the beginning who the special boy might be; for me based on her complimenting his deodorant within the first chapter (who does that); but the author still keeps it interesting. She added the backstory containing the mystery of the mother intermingling into different aspect throughout and ending up being a major factor as the story wrapped up. The little cute details made this such a fun read like figuring out who the heck this Carol lady is who keeps giving her single dad advice on how to raise his only daughter. My favorite part by far though was those dang brothers of hers giving the love of her life that final stare down just to fight over who knew first as soon as he walked out the door. I gave this story five out of five stars and would recommend this to all young adult and romance readers. It incorporates sports and more of a tomboy vibe throughout so it would be a good starter romance for those who are afraid to dive into this genre. Also I found a fun quiz to take after you read this book to see how well you were paying attention, so take it and let me know how many you got right! I thought I missed the last one, but got 100%! On The Fence GoodReads QuizNew York Times bestselling authors Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher are back with the much-anticipated final installment in the Never Never novella series. Together, Silas Nash and Charlize Wynwood must look deeper into the past to find out who they were and who they want to be. With time ticking down, the couple are in a race to find the answers they need before they lose everything. Can they regain what they once had? And will it restore who they once were? Kindle Edition, 92 pages Published January 19th 2016 Current GoodReads Rating: 3.48 Stars My ReviewThe big finale didn’t disappoint. It was more lighthearted than the others in the trilogy because it revolved around two desperate lovers trying to reconnect rather than the angst and mystery surrounding their amnesia. It still contained a bag full of tricks and turns as they collected the final pieces of the puzzle.
I love how Charlie got to step back and see her life through fresh eyes as she began to realize why she became so bitter. She got to get to know the members of her family again without the weight of guilt and history steering her opinions. She appreciated and understood her mom’s predicament more, realized her dad might really be a butt, and that her sister needs her love and support. I loved that the authors didn’t leave one stone unturned. They further explained as if to answer the readers’ questions to each background detail from the ghostly girl at their school to their father’s rift stringing it all together harmoniously. I love these two authors and they delivered one epic story. Thank you for the journey you took me on and the escape while I was reading. The ending took me a second to get because it was the farthest thing from what I was expecting, but I laughed once it clicked. It contained an epic full circle and hilarious little twist that held the authors personalities perfectly. I rated Never Never: Part Three five out of five stars. Let me know which of the trilogy was your favorite, what you thought about the series, and what your favorite part was! Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction Publisher: Lake Union Press Date of Publication: May 31, 2016 Number of Pages: 400
About The Author
My ReviewThis was a story that needed to be told. It was entertaining, fun, and real. I loved the structure of this story as it had intermingling perspectives following both the law and the lawless at times with a combination of long and short stories all balancing each other out. It was a complex feat made to look easy. It was beautifully constructed and very educational for someone who has never read a police orientated book. You were not overwhelmed with the lingo and policies as you were introduced to it all as you started your first day at the police academy with K.W. Some of my favorite movies are the ones that are based off of real life events because as soon as the movie ends the facts flash across the screen as to where these people are at in life now and that is just another thing I love about this book. You get to hear all these adventures and then the epilogue contains the briefing of where each of these stories ended up even the 410 gauge shot gun that is now in the hands of K.W.'s grandson. It just creates even more excitement for what you just finished reading. The story introduces you to a small town boy and the struggles and heroism of a town as they are drawn together to raise this boy. It was an inspirational, heartwarming story that could easily be portrayed into a movie. As the boy grows up, he becomes a police himself and the story then follows both sides of the law. The reader becomes immersed in the drama of the day to day life or death scenarios that arise. He includes rotating sections from both his and the criminals point of view that had you realizing just how hard being in law enforcement really is. You got to know the armed robber that was shot down on his first offense, the drug addict that would do anything for his next hit, and even the addict that was high and on a stabbing spree. The story line followed K.W. as he becomes a guardian and the good, the bad, and the ugly that goes along with that responsibility. K.W. has the perfect balance throughout the story so that you really understand all the scenarios that shaped him, from the ones he was fully immersed in to the ones that he tipped his toes into because of his snitch or happenstance. I loved this story and enjoyed sharing tidbits as I read with others about some of the bizarre scenarios that arose. The more you read, the more you fall in love with this story. I'd highly recommend this to any audience. Check out the other great blogs on the tour! 06/28 My Book Fix Blog – Review 06/29 Books and Broomsticks – Excerpt #1 06/30 Missus Gonzo – Review 07/01 The Crazy Booksellers – Promo 07/02 StoreyBook Reviews – Author Interview #1 07/03 The Librarian Talks – Review 07/04 It's a Jenn World – Guest Post 07/05 The Page Unbound – Excerpt #2 07/06 Country Girl Bookaholic – Review 07/07 Margie's Must Reads – Author Interview #2 |