Month: June 2017

Three On A Match: Eleven Stories by Gino B. Bardi

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Three On A Match: Eleven Stories by Gino B. Bardi was an okay book.  I enjoyed that this book was filled with short stories because it makes reading them easy.  I was able to read one or two stories and then take a break or do other things without forgetting what was going on in the story.  There were quite a few of the stories that left me scratching my head and wondering what the entire story was about but it was never in a bad way.  For example the first story the little boy wants a bird and long story short he ends up buying the bird, but I didn’t get the point of the story.  It was well written, and I loved that they are short stories so I could get through them quickly and move on to another story.  If you love short stories than I would recommend this book to you and it would also be a fun read for the summertime.

About The Book

Three on a Match is a collection of tales ranging from funny to touching, from thought provoking to outrageous, and heart-warming to heart-wrenching. They share one common trait: each examine relationships from a unique, sometimes quirky, angle. Some are laugh-out-loud hilarious, some twist and turn and then end up just the way you thought they would. Others deliver an “I didn’t see THAT coming!” conclusion. Nothing is exempt from scrutiny. Some highlights:
In A Very Special Bird, a young child obtains a coveted pet parakeet in a daring ethically-challenged maneuver—then must face his mother, eye-to-eye.
In Twins, two unrelated strangers meet in an airport and discover they have identical birthdays. One is an unemployed newlywed, the other is a radiantly beautiful actress. They have nothing in common but time to kill before their flight. What starts out as an innocent hookup gets serious with the speed of a jetliner taking off.
In Blue Belle, we meet a hardworking rural man of limited means, who can’t resist a bargain on a used luxury car. Soon, it becomes more than just transportation…but cars don’t last forever…
The protagonist of No Good Deed finds a large, injured seabird on a Florida roadway, and makes choices that he immediately regrets, and can’t undo. He quickly plunges into a one-sided relationship he must ride out until the end, for good or bad.
Three on a Match tells the story of a middle-aged man, with a predictable marriage and a life-sapping everyday existence, who forms an unlikely alliance with two homeless men, who sleep in a tent, hunt, fish, drink beer and fire automatic weapons for kicks. An evening of beer and camaraderie produces some life-changing decisions.
This is a quick, easy read which will leave you smiling, thinking, and hungry for more. Gino Bardi is the author of three-time award-winning The Cow in the Doorway and he claims that all of this actually happened, but no one believes him.

About The Author

Gino B. Bardi was born in New York City in 1950 and lived on the South Shore of Long Island until he attended Cornell University in 1968, during the tumultuous era of Vietnam War protests. Armed with a degree in English/Creative Writing, he diligently sought work in his field and soon wound up doing everything but. For the next forty-four years, he cranked out advertising copy, magazine articles, loan pitches and short stories while running a commercial printing company in Upstate New York. Along the way, he married his college girlfriend, became a father to three lovely daughters and decided that winter was an unnecessary evil. In 2008 he sold the printing business, retired, and now writes humorous fiction in his home on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Two signs hang above his desk: “Bad decisions make good stories,” and Mel Brooks’ advice that “You only need to exaggerate a LITTLE BIT.”

The Cow in the Doorway is his first full-length novel and won the statewide Royal Palm Literary Award for best unpublished New Adult novel for 2015.

Three on a Match is part one of a short story anthology. All the stories have some basis in fact…but only ‘some,’ and range from laugh-out-loud funny to moving and thought provoking. Eleven stories in part one explore relationships- with people, people, and animals, appliances, nothing is safe.

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Operation Scorpion by John Beyer

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Operation Scorpion by John Beyer was an okay book.  It wasn’t one of my favorites that I have read lately, but it still was a book I think most people would enjoy it.  I say this because since this book is in my favorite genre to read and I am pretty picky when I read books like this one.  I did enjoy this author writing and his characters.  I was able to look at the characters like they are real people which I always enjoy because it gets me emotionally invested in the characters and what happens to them.  I wouldn’t mind reading more books by this author, and I would also love to read more books that involve these characters as well.  I was also able to read this book in a few days as well.  If you love mystery books, I would for sure recommend this author to you.

About The Book

PI Frank Sanders is “blown away” by the woman who strolls into his office one morning. Not only is she drop-dead-gorgeous, she’s also rich and willing to pay whatever it takes for him to find her missing father, world-famous geologist Dr. Stephen Jaspers who went rock hunting in the desert and hasn’t been heard from since. A retired Riverside California Police Department detective, Frank is used to searching for people. He takes the case, assuming it’s a simple missing person. But what he uncovers is more than he bargained for, leading him to suspect that he’s about to be blown away—literally, this time—along with everyone else in Southern California.

About The Author

John R. Beyer spent years in law enforcement in Southern California as a street cop, a training officer and a member of the elite SWAT team. After leaving the force, he continued in public service entering the field of education. During his tenure, he served as classroom teacher, school administrator and district administrator. While in both worlds he earned a Doctorate in School Administration and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

During all those years, he never gave up the passion for writing – both fiction and nonfiction. He has been published in numerous magazines, newspapers and the like for decades on a variety of topics.
He is the author of three highly praised internationally known novels – Hunted (2013), Soft Target (2014) and Operation Scorpion (2017). All deal with law enforcement (both local and federal level) intrigues – murder, mayhem, terrorism, and humor can be found in all three novels.

His latest short stories for the past year can be found in Foliate Oak Literary Magazine (2016) and GNU Journal (2017).

He has had countless interviews on radio and blog spots – Marilyn’s Musings, CJEvolution, Twisted Webb Radio, Webbweaver Books, Book Readers Heaven, and WOCA – The Source, to name but a few.
John is on the constant move of stretching fiction to the limits in his writing and to strive to tell the tales which need to be told.

For further information concerning Black Opal Books please visit: http://www.blackopalbooks.com

You can also follow my non-fiction pieces by visiting: http://www.jandlresearchandexploration.blogspot.com

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret

Tony Gaskins – Quote Of The Week

The quote I chose for this week is by Tony Gaskins.

I chose this quote because I feel like people get too wrapped up in what other people think and say about them.  I used to care about what other people thought of me, but over the past few years, I have gotten to the point where I like to know what people think of me, but I no longer allow any of it to affect me.  I don’t let myself stress or worry about things that I can’t change because I have enough of my own problems that I need to worry about and focus on.  Those are just a few of my thoughts on this quote.

What do you think of this week’s quote by Tony Gaskins?

What quotes are you currently loving right now?

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret

More Than A Soldier by D.M. Annechino

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Italy Book Reviews in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

More Than A Soldier by D.M. Annechino was a fantastic book.  Anyone who has followed my reviews for just about any length of time knows that I love any book that has to do with WWII and this book was no different.  This book is based on a true story, and I loved it because I love knowing that a real person had lived through the things that happened in this book.  I have read other books by this author, and I really do enjoy his writing.  I can’t say enough good things about this book because I am such a love of books like this one.  I loved that as I was reading this book, I felt like I was there with Angelo and I felt like I was there with him.  I was able to understand how he was feeling because the author did such a great job making you feel like you are with the character.  If you are looking for a new WWII book to read this summer, I think that you will love this book just as much as I do.

About The Book

Feeling a patriotic duty to defend his country after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, seventeen-year-old, Angelo J. DiMarco, enlists in the U.S. Army. Severely short of frontline fighters, the Army rushes Angelo through Ranger training and sends him to Italy as part of the 1st Ranger Battalion. Their objective: stop the German invasion.

Fighting on the front lines in Italy, the German’s teach Angelo a sobering lesson on life when they capture him during the bloody Battle of Cisterna. Against insurmountable odds, Angelo miraculously escapes in a way that stretches the imagination. He survives behind enemy lines for over five months, hiding from the Germans and trying to outmaneuver them. He begs for food, sleeps in barns and suffers from many ailments, including dehydration, malnutrition, malaria, and exposure to the elements.

More Than a Soldier is Angelo DiMarco’s powerful story of survival, resilience, and courage.

About The Author

Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money, while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly. He has written and published five novels—all thrillers. But his latest work, More Than a Soldier, is a Historical Biography set in Italy during WWII.

A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret

Mayhem by Autumn Sand

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Aurora Publicity in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Mayhem by Autumn Sand wasn’t my favorite book that I have read lately.  This is the second book in the “Twisted Hearts Love Story” series, and if I am honest, I didn’t like it as much as I did the first book.  If you missed my review of the first book, you could click here to check it out.  I didn’t feel like I could connect with this character which is strange because I did like Tick during the first book but it changed as I was reading this book.  Even with me saying that I still did enjoy this book for the most part and I am planning on reading the other books in this series as well.  I really love this author writing and her characters.  This book does have parts in it that may cause people who only read Christian romance to be uncomfortable, but it was nothing over the top.  If you are looking for a new series of romance books to read this summer, I would recommend this one to you.

About The Book

TICK

I don’t need much.
As the right-hand man to the mob boss,
I have everything I need.
Women, money, power.

I’ve seen too much,
Hurt too long to want anything more.

But when I hear the screams,
I go into overdrive,
Driven to help a woman in need.

What I didn’t realize is she was going to save me.

CYMA

There’s no “happily-ever-after.”
There’s only heartache and pain.
I learned that the hard way.

Now, I have one goal: protect my daughter.
But when the rugged and sexy man saves me,
All I want is to bolt.
After all, I’ve got enough to deal with right now.

But a chance encounter proves me wrong.
Can we find a way to find love in the middle of mayhem?

***This book can be read as a standalone. No need to read book 1 to follow the story.***

About The Author

Autumn Sands was born and raised in New York City. Considering herself a true New Yorker in every way from the restaurants that she eats to the shoe fetish she has. Oh yes at one time Autumn has had a shoe collection of 300 and has the credit card statements to prove it. Other than shoe shopping she has various interests such as reading, writing, and traveling. Autumn has worked in the fashion industry for most of her adult life before pursuing writing. She is reluctant to call herself an author but considers herself a person who writes words that people just so happen to like to read. As you can tell Autumn has a sarcastic sense of humor and loves to make her friends laugh in all occasions. She enjoys a good glass of wine but her go to drink of choice is a Jack Daniels and coke with a twist of lime. None of those froufrou girlie drinks for her.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret

Bedlam by Autumn Sand

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Aurora Publicity in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Bedlam by Autumn Sand was a book that I sat down and read in a couple of hours because I didn’t want to put it down. I liked Anaya and Tony from the start of the book which always makes for a good book. There are things in this book that may trigger some people so if you are sensitive to rape and domestic violence I wouldn’t read this book. The author doesn’t go into a ton of details about those subjects, but they are there, so I want you to be aware of it. Not only did I read this book I also read the next book in the series on Saturday as well, and the review of that book will be up tomorrow morning so keep your eyes open for that review. This is the first book in the series, but you don’t have to read them in order, so if you don’t only want to read one, then you can just pick that one up and not have to worry about being lost. These types of books are my guilty pleasure books, and this one didn’t let me down in the least. If you are looking for a great romance novel to read this summer I would one hundred percent recommend this book to you.

About The Book

Anaya

The whole fairy-tale.
A forever love.
And I thought I found it.

What I really found was
Danger, corruption, and betrayal.

Then, I meet him,
The gorgeous, tall man with topaz eyes.
He sets my pulse on fire,
And changes everything.

But he’s hiding something.
Not letting me in.
As an interior designer,
It’s my job to spot the wrinkle,
The problem.

Now, I’m determined to fix it,
For both of us.

Tony

She’s everything I want,
And everything I can’t have.
The brown-eyed beauty lights up
My dark and grim life.

But I can’t fall for her,
Can’t let her know the truth.
My past will destroy her,
Destroy us.
Will the bedlam of the past ruin our future together?

About The Author

Autumn Sands was born and raised in New York City. Considering herself a true New Yorker in every way from the restaurants that she eats to the shoe fetish she has. Oh yes at one time Autumn has had a shoe collection of 300 and has the credit card statements to prove it. Other than shoe shopping she has various interests such as reading, writing, and traveling. Autumn has worked in the fashion industry for most of her adult life before pursuing writing. She is reluctant to call herself an author but considers herself a person who writes words that people just so happen to like to read. As you can tell Autumn has a sarcastic sense of humor and loves to make her friends laugh in all occasions. She enjoys a good glass of wine but her go to drink of choice is a Jack Daniels and coke with a twist of lime. None of those froufrou girlie drinks for her.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret