July Book Reviews! @TonyaWrites @judypost @VeraDayAuthor @LBroday @sgc58 #writtingcommunity #readersoftwitter

Flights of Fancy

By Sally Cronin

“Flights of Fancy” is a wonderful collection of short stories and a novella. Each tale was heartfelt and layered in settings that drew me into the stories. There was romance, paranormal, revenge, and justice in this mix. I loved all the well-written stories for different reasons, but a few stood out to me. “The Other Side of Heaven,” and “Curtains” were beautifully told tales that included a glimpse into the afterlife and a few well-shed tears on my part. I adored ”Henry’s Story” which was told through a cat’s eyes, but I think my favorite was the novella, “Sewing Circle.” When an older woman is murdered, her close-knit group of senior friends does not allow themselves to play the victim role. I loved their strength and determination to right the wrongs in their unique way. This is a fantastic group of stories that I can easily recommend!

One Shot at Love Pink Pistol Sisterhood #7

By Linda Broday

“One Shot at Love” is the seventh book in the series, but I had no problem jumping into this without reading the past stories. Mariah is a nineteen-year-old girl who has become the head of her household after losing both parents in the early 1900s. She is responsible for her siblings, works at the local general store, and carries a shotgun because of the absence of law in their small town and a family of criminals out of control. When Dax, the cowboy, arrives in town to search for his sister who was abducted, he and Mariah feel an immediate attraction. However, Mariah has no trust in men. Someone finds a box containing a pink pistol and gives it to Mariah along with an interesting legend. This makes her begin to question who and what to trust. I love not only the attraction between Mariah and Dax but the friendship and kindness that also develop. Mariah is a strong character and willing to sacrifice for her siblings. I couldn’t help but root for her happiness and safety. The setting and era were so richly described that I was drawn even deeper into the story. A quick but satisfying read that I can easily recommend.

Happiness Is A Warm Cat

By Emily Gmitter

“Happiness Is A Warm Cat” is a fun collection that bounces between Zoe, the cat’s point of view, and Emily, the author. Zoe provides a cat’s-eye view of the world. Zoe’s caretaker, Ms. Gmitter, provides short stories, poetry, and interactions with Kris Kristofferson. There is a little something for everyone, especially cat lovers and fans of romance, but many other subjects drew me in. Because it was unique, it is hard to narrow down my favorites. I enjoyed Zoe’s perspective throughout the collection and the short stories and poetry, all for different reasons. There was also Ms. Gmitter’s artwork added to the mix, which captivated me. Although Zoe is the star of this book, it is a fun collection for not only animal lovers but those who enjoy a nice variety.

The Rat In The Python: Book 1 The Home

By Alex Craigie

“The Rat in the Python” is a fun look into the past or the 50s and 60s in the UK. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Craigie’s fictional books and wasn’t disappointed in her dive into nonfiction. It is still well written with a touch of humor weaved into it. “Book 1 The Home” takes us back to times before not only cell phones and computers but a lot of the modern house conveniences we are used to. People in the UK were still recovering from WWll and if they wanted a meal, the women cooked it with what was available. There were no microwaves, freezers full of food, or delivery takeout to depend on. I was born during this time and remember some of it, like the rolling pictures on the small black and white televisions. This issue could usually be resolved by adjusting a knob or moving the rabbit ears, but if none of that worked, there was always the sharp pound on the side of the TV. There was a magazine article that made me cringe. It had a housewife’s itinerary that was not only a twelve-hour day, but every minute filled with cleaning, cooking, laundry, ironing, food prep, child and husband care, and all the other things expected from a 50s woman. I believe I would have been a terrible 50s housewife. This is a fascinating peek into our past that shows not only how times have changed, but how we have changed. I enjoyed this, and look forward to reading more in this series.

Venetian Rhapsody

By Tonya Penrose

Sofia has spent the last year in Venice to finish her education before going back to Boston and the job of her dreams. At the very end of her time in Italy, she comically meets Eduardo and they both end up in the mud. Although she immediately finds him attractive, Sophia is also very put out about their encounter. Later that evening, they find themselves at the same dinner party, and, even with her hesitation, a friendship blooms. I love the banter between Eduardo and Sophia and all the “help” that attempts to bring these two together. The Venice setting was so lush and detailed that it brought me back to when I visited several years ago. Plus, the food and people Ms. Penrose so eloquently describes were just as inviting and tasty as I remember for the characters too. The couple who lives outside of Venice hear the word fate a lot, but one of them always sidetracks that. The infusion of magic through meetings and later plants captured something way beyond just two people meeting. “Venetian Rhapsody” is not only a beautiful love story, but it has a soundtrack that I want to listen to after reading about Sophie and Eduardo. This is a romantic tale I can highly recommend!

When Did We Lose Sylvia?

By Vera Day

“When Did We Lose Sylvia” is a fun debut by Ms. Day. Betty is a middle-aged poet who volunteers to teach a summer class at the local high school. As she maneuvers teaching the class and gaining the upper hand, she notices a talented young goth girl, Sylvia. When Betty and her best friend, Flora, drop by Sylvia’s house, they find more than they expected. Now they have a dead body and missing people. Betty, who doesn’t drive, is determined to find out what happened. Betty’s relationships were enjoyable, especially with her husband and Flora, her comical chauffeur. A lot of humor is sprinkled into this whodunit with a couple of twists that kept me engaged. The infusion of poetry into the story was one of my favorite parts. If you enjoy small-town Christian cozy mysteries, you won’t want to miss this one.

Muddy River Mystery One (Raven and Hester Mysteries #1)

By Judi Lynn

Hester lives in a hidden supernatural community with her coven of witches. She is a long-lived and powerful witch, who lives alone with her familiar. When a coven of young witches dies suddenly, the town enforcer, a demon named Raven, investigates their deaths. Raven pulls Hester into the probe to help him because it involves magic. They are interesting characters that seem to be drawn to each other even though they are so different. Besides magic and mystery, these two characters focus on the simple things in life, like cooking a meal together. I really liked the ocelot familiar who was always there for Hester. I developed an empathy for whoever the killer ended up being. This is a clean, romantic paranormal mystery that was an enjoyable read.

I only post my 4 & 5-star reviews here! If I don’t like the book, I won’t finish it. It wouldn’t be fair to leave a review for an unfinished story, and life is too short not to enjoy my reading journey!

NOTE: There will be no post next week. I will be off celebrating my birthday. Be back July 24th!

Embrace that inner child this summer by reading a good book by the lake, pool, or under the stars. D. L. Finn

April Book Reviews Part One and Vocal Challenge! @bakeandwrite @Sandra_Cox @katharinewrites @vocal_creators #writingcommunity #whattoread #mustread #readersoftwitter #bookreview #vocalchallenge #poetry

Lion Scream: Syllabic Poetry About Southern African Wildlife

By Robbie Cheadle

“Lion Scream” is a creative collection of poetry, photos, information, links, and a short story. The poetry tells a story of the wildlife in South Africa. It is not always a pleasant narrative with the loss of their habitat or cruel hunters maiming for profit. I learned a lot about the animals and found all the poems fascinating on many different levels. Ms. Cheadle discusses the Sixth Mass Extinction and Climate Change effect on animal life through her visits to wildlife reserves and personal interaction. She shares extra reading through links to learn more, which I appreciated. This was a meaningful way to bring the plight of animals to people’s attention. The short story, at the end, tackled another important subject of our youth’s mental health and the medication used. I won’t pick out my favorites because the message is too important. A book not to be missed by those who love animals and the world we share with them.

Black Opal Amulets #3

By Sandra Cox

“Black Opal” is the third book in the Amulet series. Sabina is a famous singer who has the power amulet. While singing on stage, she is almost killed but is saved by Adam Morelly, the nephew of a mob boss. There is an immediate attraction between them that she chooses to ignore because of his relatives. Yet, he is determined to keep her safe from someone trying to kill her. Seeing Maureen and Bella back from the first two books is fun. I love their friendship and how they are there for each other no matter what. At the same time, a killer on the loose wants everything these women have, including Adam. There is a sweet moment when Adam also finds a kitten, Bones, in the garbage and takes it in. An excellent addition to the series that can be a standalone read, but I enjoyed reading it from the beginning! A book and series I can easily recommend.

Tall, Dark and Undead

By Sandra Cox

Suzanne gets attacked by three men in an alley on the way home. A kickboxer, she can usually take care of herself, but this time she was overwhelmed. A hero appears, a handsome mystery man with strange eyes with unusual abilities, and saves her. He gets her to the hospital, where she recovers. A strong woman who has made her job as an assistant at the hospital her entire focus, finds herself drawn to two men, one a cop and one a vampire. I love the developing relationship between her and Adrian. He is a vampire with a conscience and a vegetarian, or he doesn’t feed on humans anymore. He is as torn as Suzanne as feelings grow between them. I adore the connection between Suzanne and her fatherly boss, Kess. A paranormal love story that I can easily recommend.

Lily Adler Mystery #4

Murder at Midnight

By Katharine Schellman

“Murder at Midnight” is the fourth book in the Lily Adler Mystery Series, but I could easily follow along once I got through the first couple of chapters. Set in 1816, some guests attending a ball can’t make it home because of a sudden heavy snowstorm. The host, Lady Grantham, offers her hospitality, but they wake up to a murder. Lily is one of those guests. She is a young widow who attended with her family and is known for solving mysteries. Lily immediately becomes involved in this one. Gossip and innuendos can ruin a young woman’s reputation and put a family friend, Amelia, right into the suspect’s chair. Amelia’s brother, Jack, was Lily’s husband’s best friend and is now hers. There are developing relationships, and hidden motives interweaved into this story, along with solving a murder. This is for you if you enjoy historical mysteries with a strong female character.

I only post my 4 & 5-star reviews here! If I don’t like the book, I won’t finish it. It wouldn’t be fair to leave a review for an unfinished story, and life is too short not to enjoy my reading journey!

UPDATE:

I wasn’t going to do this Vocal Poetry Challenge but in one of my I sleepless moments, it came. I did a tanka poem 5/7/5/7/7 and made each word start with the same letter which turned out to be F. The challenge was that all the words start with the same letter. I’d love for you to stop by to like, comment and/or share it. Here is the link:

https://vocal.media/poets/forest-fairies

Embrace your inner child, and read a good book! D. L. Finn

September Book Reviews Part 2! @Dwallacepeach @pokercubster @Sandra_Cox #bookreviews #whattoread #readersoftwitter #writingcommunity

Amulets #1 Boji Stones

By Sandra Cox

Maureen wakes up in the hospital after a car accident. She is badly hurt and missing an important piece of jewelry. She needs to find this, to not only heal her injuries but keep the stones safe. I love Maureen and her connection to animals, especially horses. Her protective ranch hand is there for her, but someone wants what she has and doesn’t care who they hurt to get it. What Maureen comes home to after an interesting hospital stay is a man who needs his horse healed. Her kind heart can’t let the poor horse suffer even though she doesn’t trust the man who brought the horse. He offers to stay on to pay her back for her kindness, but the only person she can trust is her ranch hand—and herself. I enjoy how Ms. Cox can weave magic into the real world and make me care about what happens to the characters. A fun read that I found hard to put down. Recommended for those who love romance sprinkled with some magic and danger.

Have Bags, Will Travel

D.G. Kaye

This was a quick, fun read for all those adventurous souls who love to travel or read about it. It took us back to days of more effortless traveling, to current times when there’s a lot more involved. Told in a personal, humorous tone, I immediately connected to the antidotes told. I’m glad I’m not the only one who over packs and then had to pay for it when checking the luggage. I shook my head, knowing how hard it is to get traveling purchases home in luggage — and through customs. Luckily, I’ve only had my bags searched once. I can’t imagine being a target when I came back to my country. I thoroughly enjoyed this; it not only made me want to travel but long for the good old days when planes offered more room. This ends with some sound advice for traveling that includes a luggage scale. An excellent read for travelers!

Catling’s Bane (The Rose Shield Book 1) 

by D. Wallace Peach

Catling’s selfish mother wanted to eliminate a mark on her young daughter’s face so the mother can move up in the harsh world they lived in. Eventually, the mother sells her marked daughter. After leaving a cruel life behind, where hangings are enjoyed, Catling settles into a bit of peace. Yet as time goes by, it becomes apparent there is something special about her mark and her. Some brutal scenes are mixed with vivid images of a world ruled by influencers and power. The relationship between Whitt and Catling was heartwarming, and I rooted for them. But the world she was thrust into was cold and calculating. I loved the beasts that lived in the water as the boats navigated on top of their world. Although Catling was only thirteen when the story ended, she was stronger than most adults around her. This was a story I couldn’t put down as I had to keep reading to see what happened to Catling, and I will eagerly continue this journey by reading the next book.

I only post my 4 & 5-star reviews. If I don’t like a book, I won’t finish it. It doesn’t feel right leaving a review, in that case:) Life is too short not to enjoy every book you read!

Embrace that inner child by reading an amazing story! D. L. Finn

New Release! “Blood Brothers” by Sandra Cox. @Sandra_Cox #newrelease #paranormalromanace #whattoread #writingcommunity

I’m thrilled to welcome an amazing author and friend here today, Sandra Cox to share her latest release, Blood Brothers.

A sequel to Mateo’s Law.

They thought they’d killed her but she’s back for vengeance.

Blurb:

They were friends, close as brothers. Then they weren’t.

Mateo and Jesse are cautiously working their way back to friendship when Jesse discovers the unthinkable. Delilah, the sultry shifter who’d had affairs with both men, is still alive. The tumble she took over a mountain ridge—a fall that nearly killed Mateo—should have finished her.

Now, there’s no choice but for the two men to work together to take down a she-devil straight from hell.  As the stakes escalate and the hunt becomes more intense, another wolf appears on the scene. Always where Jesse’s at. Always when he’s in trouble.  Jesse is divided between ending Delilah, a new love interest, discovering the identity of a certain brown wolf and staying alive.

Excerpt:

“She’s alive.”

Mateo studied Jesse. The chief’s face stoic except for eyes that sparked with an emotion the sheriff couldn’t read. Still, it made him shift uneasily in his chair. Anxiety and fear pheromones rolled off Jesse. And Jesse didn’t scare easily.

The outside door banged open, distracting him. Boots clomped. A moment later, Adam stuck his head around the door. An aspiring attorney, the young man did their paperwork during the day and took classes at night. “Boss—”

“Later, Adam.” Mateo’s eyes never left Jesse.

“Sure, Boss.” Adam’s head swiveled from one to the other before he disappeared.

“Who’s alive?” The words were no sooner out of Mateo’s mouth when a premonition, so terrible it chilled his blood, hit him. Hard. The hair on the back of his neck rose. And he knew. Knew before Jesse uttered the word.

“Layla.”

On some level, he’d known before now. For a week, he’d been hearing eerie howling that set his teeth on edge and made his hackles rise. And the old wolf, his dad, and the wolf-pup had been acting strangely. The old wolf always staring into the distance with his ruff on end and a continual low snarl rolling out of his throat. The pup cowering close to the old wolf. “That’s impossible. The fall killed her. Nearly killed me.”

“I saw her.”

“Saw her?”

“She was half-wolf. Half-human.” Jesse scrubbed his face with his hands.

“Shit.” Mateo’s extensive vocabulary limited this morning.

“She’ll be coming for you. You and Blair.”

“She won’t get her.” He growled. Literally growled.

“Down, wolf.” For the first time, Jesse smiled.

Mateo forced his clenched teeth and stiff jaws open enough to ask, “When did you see her and where?”

Jesse Kipp character facts:

Jesse and Blair both like to catch the Full Moon Band, that plays hard rock with a native twist, on Wednesday nights at the Blue Coyote.

Jesse loves Belle’s Beans coffee and bear claws.

He has a small house in Browning but spends a lot of his time in a cabin in the mountains that’s been in his family for generations.

US AMAZON PURCHASE LINK

UK Amazon Purchase Link

About Sandra:

Sandra writes All Things Western, is a vegetarian, animal lover and avid gardener. She lives with her husband, their dog and cats in sunny North Carolina.

Foodie Facts:

She spent a number of years in the Midwest chasing down good Southern BBQ. By the time she moved to North Carolina where Southern BBQ is practically a staple, she’d become a vegetarian.

Pineapple is a must-have on pizza, along with black olives and onions.

She loves pumpkin waffles. Pumpkin cream cheese, not so much.

You can find her at:

http://www.sandracoxwriter.com

http://www.cowboytrivia.com

https://sandracox.blogspot.com

http://www.twitter.com/Sandra_Cox.

Funky Little Giveaway:

Denise will draw commenter names from her famous hat for a book reader’s beady bracelet😊