Book Review

The Body In The Landscape by Larissa Reinhart

Book Review 1-2016

The Body In The Landscape by Larissa Reinhart was an okay book.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the story but it was well written and I am sure that most people would enjoy this story.  I want to check out other books by this author because I loved the authors writing style and I try not to  write an author off if I don’t like the first book I read by them.  This is the 5th book in the series and it is the first one I have read.  I was able to understand what was going on in this book but it would have been nice to read the other books first because then I would have known the back story but you can just read this one and understand what is going on.  If you love chick lit books than I am sure you will like this one.  I think one of the things that turned me off of this book is the fact that part of it has to do with hunting and I am not a fan of that.  That being said there isn’t to much of that in the book but it just turned me off right from the start.

The Body In The Landscape by Larissa Reinhart

About The Book

“Anyone who likes humorous mysteries will also enjoy local author Larissa Reinhart, who captures small town Georgia in the laugh-out-loud escapades of struggling artist Cherry Tucker.” – Fayette Woman Magazine

“Cherry is a quirky spitfire who lights the match that sets her little town on fire.” – Dru’s Book Musings

When Cherry Tucker’s invited to paint the winning portrait for Big Rack Lodge’s Hogzilla hunt, it seems like a paid vacation. Back home in Halo, a Hatfield-McCoy-style standoff builds between Luke and Cherry’s families. She’s ready for a weekend away, hobnobbing with rich and famous hunters, where she can forget her troubles and nobody knows her name.

As Georgia sunshine turns to bleak December rain, Cherry’s R&R goes MIA when she finds a body in the woods. While the police believe the local drunk took an accidental spill, Cherry has her doubts, particularly when a series of malicious pranks are targeted at the rifle toting contestants. With loyal companions at her side—sort-of-ex-husband Todd and a championship bayer named Buckshot—Cherry tracks suspects through a forest full of pitfalls and perils. And all the while, a killer’s stalking the hunt party with a bead on Cherry.

Larissa Reinhart

About The Author

The 2015 Georgia Author of the Year finalist for best mystery, Larissa writes with a particular focus on sassy female characters with a penchant for trouble. The Cherry Tucker Mystery series is published by Henery Press. The first in the series, PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY (2012), is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, 2012 The Emily finalist, and 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW, HIJACK IN ABSTRACT, and DEATH IN PERSPECTIVE follow, with the Cherry Tucker novella, QUICK SKETCH, in the anthology, HEARTACHE MOTEL, as a prequel to PORTRAIT. The fifth Cherry Tucker Mystery, THE BODY IN THE LANDSCAPE, releases December 15,, 2015.

Although Larissa calls Georgia home, she has moved back and forth from Japan over the years and is now living in Nagoya, Japan, with her family and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit. Visit her website or find her chatting at her Facebook page, Twitter, Tumblr, and Goodreads.

A personal note: I love interacting with readers, but I don’t comment on individual reviews to respect the privacy of reviewers. I really appreciate you taking the time to give feedback and I do encourage readers to contact me through private messaging if you want to ask a question or chat!

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20 Short Ones by Dan Salerno

Book Review 1-2016

20 Short Ones by Dan Salerno was a good book that I was able to get through  pretty quickly.  I loved that each story in this book can teach you something different and I was able to learn from each one.  I love that this book has god in it and things like that but none of it is shoved down your throat so even if you aren’t super religious I still think you would enjoy this book.  If I has to pick a favorite story it would be  the second story in the book.  I liked this one because I could see myself in Tilley and I felt so bad for her.  If you love reading short stories than I know you will love this book because you can just read one or two of them when you have a few extra minutes to your self.
20 Short Stories By Dan Salerno

About The Book

Human relationships can be intriguing, heartbreaking, funny, frustrating, and soulful (among other things). Sometimes all at the same time.

20 Short Ones takes you from Northern Ireland to New York and places in between. Each story offers a snapshot experience and an opportunity to emotionally relate to the age-old mystery of how friendships (romantic or otherwise) happen, told from a faith perspective.

This book is written from a faith-based (Judeo-Christian) point of view so if you’re a fan of Christian Fiction, 20 Short Ones is for you!

Dan Salerno

About The Author

Dan Salerno has traveled to Northern Ireland five times and to Japan (once) on mission trips. This was before he lived in New York City for eight years, earning a master’s degree in social research while working for the National Coalition for the Homeless. After that he worked and lived at the Catholic Worker’s Joseph House near the Bowery, before moving back to the Midwest.

He eventually returned to New York and worked for a children’s ministry in Brooklyn, NY for 16 months soon after 9/11.

20 Short Ones, published by Westbow Press (a division of Thomas Nelson Publishing)is his first book. It’s an engaging collection of short stores each focusing on how relationships (romantic and otherwise) begin, told from a faith-filled (Judeo-Christian) perspective.

You can read a preview of 20 Short Ones on the Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Westbow Press and Christian Family Stores websites.

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Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble

Book Review 1-2016

Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble is the second book in the Sunset Cove series.   I haven’t read the first book in the series so I am not sure what it was about but I do wish now that I would have read the other book because I did wonder about some of the back stories.  With that being said you will be fine and able to get through the book without reading them in order but is plan on reading the series then I would start with the first book.

Anyway, let’s get on to the review for this book.  I really like this book from the first chapter through the end of the book.  Even though I was able to understand what was happening I do wish that I was able to know parts of the back story but that is mainly because I  am super nosy and just wonder what happened to Mallory’s mom and that back story but that didn’t make the book hard to understand.  I don’t know that I have ever read a book by Colleen Coble that I haven’t liked and this another amazing book by her.  She was a way of making you sit on the edge of your seat and her writing also makes me love her characters.  If you are looking for amazing books than I would for sure check out any books by her.  If you love mystery/suspense novels then you will love this book as much as I do.

Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble

About The Book

Mallory’s mother died fifteen years ago. But her father’s last words on the phone were unmistakable: “Find . . . mother.” Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point. Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart—and left—without a word, years ago. When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life—and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie—their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye. As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

CCoble-110

About The Author

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide.Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble’s addictive brand of romantic suspense.

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The Promise of Forgiveness by Marin Thomas

Book Review 1-2016

The Promise of Forgiveness by Marin Thomas wasn’t my favorite book but I did enjoy it.  I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters when I started the book but after I was a few chapters in I started to like Ruby and her daughter Mia.  I liked Mia because even though she acted like she did I could see a lot of myself in her because I too had a rough childhood so I understand on some level why she acted like she did.  I enjoyed watching as Ruby & Mia both learned to loved and how to live.  If you are looking for a light-hearted book I wouldn’t recommend this book to you because there are tough things talked about and at times it was hard for me to read.  If you love reading books that teach you something and that at times make you take a look at your own life than I know you will love this book just as much as I did.

The Promise of Forgiveness by Marin Thomas

About The Book

A novel of love, forgiveness, and the unbreakable bonds of family from award-nominated author Marin Thomas . . .

When it comes to family, Ruby Baxter hasn’t had much luck. The important men in her early life abandoned her, and any time a decent boyfriend came along, she ran away. But now Ruby is thirty and convinced she is failing her teenage daughter. Mia is the one good thing in her life, and Ruby hopes a move to Kansas will fix what’s broken between them.

But the road to redemption takes a detour. Hank McArthur, the biological father Ruby never knew existed, would like her to claim her inheritance: a dusty oil ranch just outside of Unforgiven, Oklahoma.

As far as first impressions go, the gruff, emotionally distant rancher isn’t what Ruby has hoped for in a father. Yet Hank seems to have a gift for rehabilitating abused horses—and for reaching Mia. And if Ruby wants to entertain the possibility of a relationship with Joe Smith, the ranch foreman, she must find a way to open her heart to the very first man who left her behind.

Marin Thomas

About The Author

Born in Janesville, Wisconsin. Graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Married my college sweetheart in a five-minute ceremony in Las Vegas. FYI: I only post reviews of the books I enjoyed reading.

I write women’s fiction for Berkley/NAL Trade and western romances for Harlequin Books. My current release is A Cowboy’s Redemption, book 1 in my newest series, Cowboys of the Rio Grande. My first women’s fiction novel, The Promise of Forgiveness,will be released March 2016.

 

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Redeeming Cade by Susan Crawford

Book Review 1-2016

Redeeming Cade by Susan Crawford was a great book.  I loved Cade from the start of the book and I just loved him even more as the story went on.  There was something that I liked about Darby but I wasn’t totally sure about her because of her being a politician and I didn’t like how she acted from time to time.  That being said though I could tell she was a good person and I hoped that things would work out for everyone involved in the book.  This is a shorter book which is truly enjoyed because I was able to read it all even though I have been super busy with work.  If you are looking for super sweet story to read than I know you will love this book.

Redeeming Cade by Susan Crawford

About The Book

Cade McGuire has turned a one-eighty. The ex-con is now assistant director at the downtown mission that gave him a fresh start when he needed it most. When Cade attends a press conference and discovers that a woman running for a seat on the city council plans to close the mission, he can’t just stand by. Not even for a politician as beautiful as Darby Phillips.

Darby has been groomed her whole life for a future in politics. The City Council seat is just the first step in following her grandfather’s footsteps and making a difference for the community. When the obviously blue-collar Cade confronts her at a press conference, demanding she come and meet the people she’ll displace with her fancy new entertainment district, she knows refusing would be political suicide. No problem. A few hours at a rundown mission won’t change anything.

As Darby and Cade butt heads over what the city needs most, one unsettling thing becomes clear: though they’re from opposite worlds, they might just be what each other needs.

Susan Crawford

About The Author

Susan Crawford is an author of inspirational contemporary romance, published by Redbud Press. Before publication, her debut novel, Saving Justice, was named a finalist in the 2014 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis writing contest. Susan lives in Oklahoma City, where she happily crams writing in between being a wife, mom, and small business owner.

Visit her online at http://www.susancrawfordbooks.com to sign up for her email newsletter and be the first to hear about her writing news and upcoming releases.

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Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus #killerpursuit

Winter Book Review

Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus was a good book.  I have read tons of books this past year and I think that this book is at the top of the list of the books I have enjoyed reading this year.  I also really enjoyed this authors style of writing and his characters.  I also can’t wait to pick a few of his others books up in the new year.  Anyway, let’s get on to the review of this book.  I am a huge fan of Allison because she is such a strong female character that can be hard to find in books in this genre.  I really can’t say enough great things about this book because I loved it from the start and I was left feeling sad when I was done with it because I loved the book.  I know I am adding his other books to my list so that I can read more of his books.  If you love thriller type books than I would recommend this book to you.

Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus

About The Book

When a high-society call girl is murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection…and no-one knows who’s on the other end.

Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder. The most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but with rumors that the victim’s client list may have included Mason’s political enemies, Allison worries about the director’s motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she’s not the only one pursuing the videos. In fact, the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.

Jeff Gunhus

About The Author

Jeff Gunhus is the author thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 100 on Amazon and have been Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists.

After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.

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