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Chill Run – Russell Brooks

AngelaLeave a comment

This was a fast-paced read, with a lot of twists and turns. This is the second book I have read by Russell Brooks, and this one had a completely different feel to it. The whole style of writing seemed different than “The Demeter Code”, and it was spot-on for this story.

Chill Run Image

When Eddie has no one who believes in him and his dream of becoming a published author, his two friends convince him to try a publicity stunt to end all publicity stunts. Everyone knows it is a lot easier to sell your first novel when people have heard of you.

Eddie should have stuck to writing, and hired someone to get his name out to the public. What seemed like a harmless stunt turned into an unsuspecting, albeit sketchy, Governor being murdered. And the bodies seemed to pile up from there. With next to nobody believing in his innocent, Eddie and his friends begin a journey to clear all of their names. They manage to uncover corruption of the deepest kind while they are at it, while learning what they are truly made of.

I liked this story a lot, and highly recommend it. It has action, suspense, romance, and a couple laugh-out-loud moments as well.

To learn more a bout Russell and his stories, be sure to visit his website at: http://russellparkway.com  

Why I Will Not Review Your Book

Angela22 Comments

It really is nothing personal, and I do not turn down the opportunity to read a new story very often, but sometimes I do. And then the author takes it personally. Like I did not feel their story was worthy of my time, or I felt the description was so bad that I could not even stand the thought of opening it.

That is not the case. 99% of the time it is because they have written a book on a subject that I have no knowledge of, and my lack of knowledge is not going to allow me to write a fair review. I will get to that other 1% in a minute. But if you have written a book about birds of South America, or Buddhism, or aliens, you do not want me writing a review. Do I have anything against the birds of South America, or Buddhists, or aliens? Nope. None of the previously mentioned have ever done anything to me. But I do not know anything about them. So no; I do not generally read science fiction. There are some Sci-Fi stories that I have read, but the story was also steeped in other information that allowed me to get lost in it, and enjoy the story the way the author surely hoped I would.

It has nothing to do with the story, or the author, or the quality of their writing. It’s not you, it’s me…

Now; about that other 1%. I have read a couple completely unbearable books in the past year, and most of you know that I really do not try to say bad things about writers, or their stories. If I can’t say anything nice, I prefer to keep my mouth shut. But once I tell you that I will not be reading and reviewing your book, you should probably just leave it be. It is the unfortunate author who feels the need to blow up my email account and say unkind things that is likely to get an honest, horrible review of their book posted for the whole-wide-web to find and read.

Those of you whom I have been in contact with, whose stories I have purchased or you sent to me, and have not seen a review yet; I have not forgotten. And I will get it done. Sometimes life just happens to get in the way of my free time. Many do not realize that I have a full-time 45+ hours-a-week job, am the single parent to 4 daughters (3 still at home), and go to college when it strikes my fancy. I also have a couple other pans in the fire that need my attention from time-to-time.

I want, and appreciate, the gentle nudges you send me to ask about your review. Please continue to do so. I love to read. It is my one escape that allows me to relax, unwind, de-stress, and forget about my 17 year old driving my car all over town, my 23 year old stressing over paying for college classes, my 13 year old video chatting with 16 year old boys 3000 miles away, and my 10 year old who has no more responsibilities than to feed her guinea pig, yet gets mad at me because I forgot to do it for her.

I am grateful for my patient and understanding authors and followers, and it really is my goal to help promote and encourage as many of you as I am able to. Your stories truly do bring me joy, happiness, and adventure, and without them, I cannot even begin to imagine how much more difficult I would be for others to have to deal with!

So please keep writing, so I can keep reading!

Fingal O’Reilly, Irish Doctor – Patrick Taylor, MD

AngelaLeave a comment

This was another great installment in Mr. Taylor’s Irish series of books. This one takes place after Fingal’s marriage to Kitty, and there are lots of changes going on in not only Fingal’s life, but everyone around him as well.

Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor Cover Image

Barry has done specialty but is ready to return to the practice with Fingal. Kinky is getting married herself, and the town is not being very accepting of Jenny, the new “lady” doctor who is helping Fingal while Barry is specializing.

The residents of Ballybucklebo are up to their usual antics and good times, and this story takes you back to another time when things were easier.

This story is set in 1965 Ireland, but also goes back thirty years to when Fingal first met Kitty, and how she got away from him the first time. Every other chapter goes back 30 years, but it is written in a way that makes it a smooth, easy read.

I think this story could easily be read without having read any previous books in this series. I am pretty sure I have not read the very first book in the series yet, but have read about 5 or 6 of the others. But with that being said, you should read them all; they are that good 🙂

If Ireland interests you, especially Ireland in the early 20th century, these stories are full of factual information about the history of Ireland. As Mr. Taylor is a licensed medical doctor, the medical information that is included in the book is also spot on, and gives the back story on how diseases were so very devastating in this time of history, as well as how antibiotics and cures were found and developed.

Coming Soon; To A Blog Near You…

Angela2 Comments

…Well, okay; this blog.

Book reviews, suggestions, interesting facts, quotes, and author features.

Yes; I have been reading (very slowly). No, I am not feeling better. Still trying to crawl out of the winter blues, and a trip to the doctor’s and chest x-rays today have not given me an answer yet for what is physically been ailing me since I woke up Thursday.

So I am arguing with myself about using the next 2 vacation days I put in for at work; just-in-case. Or, going to work like I really should, even though I desperately need the rest.

So I will get those book reviews posted again. I will pick back up with my author features. And most of all I look forward to the great comments and insight from all of my followers!

Here’s to books, and all the happiness they bring us!

Hope Reborn – Caryl McAdoo

AngelaLeave a comment

Another fantastic story by Caryl; if you have not had a chance to read some of her novels yet, you have got to pick one up and read it, as soon as possible.

Yes, like right now. You should get on your Amazon account, search her name, and just pick a book. Any book will do. They are all great, and it is a perfect day to start a new story.

Hope Reborn Cover Image

Okay, back to the story…Hope Reborn is a historical romance novel, set in Texas in the 1850’s. It centers around Millicent May Meriwether, but do not call her Millicent. She writes romance novels, and decides to make her way to Texas both to research for future novels, as well as help a family friend.

Receiving a warm welcome into Texas, May and her personal assistance and Man-of-All-Things-Needed, Chester, end up taking temporary residence at the estate of Henry Buckmeyer. A widower with a brood of children, and a staff to help run his estate, May is afraid she may have indeed found what she has been looking for; a man to spend the rest of her life with. Afraid because she has lost and suffered so much already.

May and Henry both seem to have secrets to hide, and May needs to decide if she can give her whole self to this man who lost so much when he lost his wife. A man of Faith might just be the undoing of May and her hopes and dreams. She never could understand why anyone would believe in fairytales like God and Jesus.

As storylines intertwine, May and Henry are not the only ones who find answers to questions long asked. More than one situation finds the resolution needed and desired.

As I try to never give away spoilers, this is one book you will need to read for yourself. It is well-written, clean, and has you hoping and cheering for everyone involved.

You can get this story free on Amazon for the next 5 days! Do not miss out on this great opportunity here: http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Reborn-Texas-Romance-Book-ebook/dp/B00RASZWEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421018283&sr=8-1&keywords=Hope+Reborn+Caryl+McAdoo

Author Caryl McAdoo
Author Caryl McAdoo

 

Any Day I Get To Read Is A Day Where I Achieved Something Positive!

Angela8 Comments

After a Thursday I would rather forget, and a Friday spent at home that I was not happy about, I managed to get motivated and get some things done around my house.

Yesterday we had a Winter Storm Warning starting at 11 am and I seriously considered leaving work to beat the storm, since I had to stop and get cat food and milk. Against my better judgment, I stayed for my whole day, and left work at 3pm. By now we had 50 mph winds, white-outs, and as I was cleaning my car off to leave work, my driver’s side wiper broke off my car. Already frozen after 4 minutes outside (wind chills were about -15) I was in the parking lot, cussing up a storm, holding my windshield wiper in my hand.

I am in Muskegon. It is a blessing being this close to the lake in the Summer, and a curse in the Winter.
I am in Muskegon. It is a blessing being this close to the lake in the Summer, and a curse in the Winter.

I found someone who was able to zip tie it onto the arm, and scared out of my mind, I began my treacherous journey home. I was afraid to leave the wipers running for fear it would break off while I was driving, so I would turn them on when I absolutely could not see anything, which was basically like leaving them on non-stop.

I got to the nearest auto parts place about 30 minutes later, and half-way to my home. I bought a new set of wipers, but they could not put them on for me. He really wanted to help me out, but it was against company policy. So by now I am in tears, frustrated, stressed, and angry. I get back in my car and continue my journey heading home, still knowing I have got to stop and get milk and cat food.

After that horrible journey home, I just needed to hug Benny!
After that horrible journey home, I just needed to hug Benny!

After an hour and a half, I made it home. I can get home from work in less than 15 minutes on a warm day. So after only working 4 days in this new year, I had to use a vacation day for today. I would not be able to get my new wipers put on before today, and I was pretty sure my car would be snowed in anyhow (it was).

So after avoiding doing anything for the majority of the morning, including getting out of bed, I figured I had better get some use out of the day. After doing some cleaning and organizing, I was able to finally begin reading Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King. I am not very far into it, but I am loving it so far. I have read mixed reviews about this story for the past few weeks, but until I get further into it, I will not have a good idea of what I really think about it.

photo courtesy of www.liljas-library.com
photo courtesy of http://www.liljas-library.com

So my chores are done; unfortunately for my girls, who have had school closed for the last two days, I cannot say the same 🙂 I am making a big pot of spaghetti and garlic bread, and then I have nothing to do the rest of the night except continuing to read Stephen King!

If you are under a Winter Weather Warning yourself, I wish you warmth, comfort, and a great story to keep you busy!

Murder Is Binding – Lorna Barrett

Angela4 Comments

The first book in another series by Lorna Barrett, these books are sold under the “A Booktown Mystery” tag line. Set in Stoneham, New Hampshire, Tricia Miles is one of many bookstore owners who finds herself caught in the center of this small town’s first murder in decades.

Murder is binding Cover Image

Stoneham is a sleepy town on the coast, where in order to boost the tourism and economy, Bob Kelly, president of the Chamber of Commerce, had the idea to rebuild the center of the town and have various bookstores that cater to the tourism from neighboring cities and states.

Tricia Miles owns “Haven’t Got a Clue”, a bookstore devoted to mystery novels. There is also “The Cookery”, devoted to cookbooks, and “History Repeats Itself”, specializing in historical novels. Who wouldn’t want to live in a town with so many great little bookstores? Well, except for the murders, that is.

Apparently Bob Kelly is putting the pressure on one of the bookstore owners, threatening to raise her lease amount when it is time to renew. Tricia wants nothing more than to run her store, and not get involved in all of the issues going on around her. When her sister, Angelica, decides to come for a visit, Tricia knows her peace and quiet is officially over. Questioning what the ulterior motive is for the visit from Ange, Tricia’s days of calm and quiet are about to end.

As is my policy, about 98% of the time, there will be no spoilers here. What I can tell you though, is that this story is a fun read, full of twists and turns, and it will keep you guessing until the end. It also includes recipes that are mentioned throughout the story, and the antics of the shop cat, Miss Marple, will have you smiling!

If you love books as much as I do, you certainly will not want to pass up the opportunity to read a story about books, bookstores, murder, and mayhem! I do have 7 of the 8 books in this series, so you will be hearing more about this fun series in the near future.

A fun cartoon from Lorna's website! Be sure to visit it at http://lornabarrett.com
A fun cartoon from Lorna’s website! Be sure to visit it at http://lornabarrett.com

You can visit her website here: http://lornabarrett.com/