Review

Abuse of Discretion by Pamela Samuels Young

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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.

Abuse of Discretion by Pamela Samuels Young was a fascinating book.  This wasn’t one of my favorites, but overall I did like the book.  I didn’t feel like I could connect with the characters, so I had a rough time reading it, but I did get through it.  It did have spots where I didn’t want to put the book down but those times always passed after a few chapters.  I did love getting a look at what the juvenile justice system might be like in the United States.  I felt terrible for Graylin throughout most of the book because he got caught up in something that I am sure most teenagers in this country do and deal with on a regular basis.  If you are looking for a book that takes place in current times than I think this book is the one for you.  I tend not to like books that take place in the world we are currently living in because I am so tired of always hearing about things like this happening.

About The Book

Title: ABUSE OF DISCRETION
Author: Pamela Samuels Young
Publisher: Goldman House Publishing
Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery

A Kid’s Curiosity … A Parent’s Nightmare

The award-winning author of “Anybody’s Daughter” is back with an addictive courtroom drama that gives readers a shocking look inside the juvenile criminal justice system.

Graylin Alexander is a model fourteen-year-old. When his adolescent curiosity gets the best of him, Graylin finds himself embroiled in a sexting scandal that threatens to ruin his life. Jenny Ungerman, the attorney hired to defend Graylin, is smart, confident and committed. She isn’t thrilled, however, when ex-prosecutor Angela Evans joins Graylin’s defense team. The two women instantly butt heads. Can they put aside their differences long enough to ensure Graylin gets justice?

Unbeknownst to Angela, her boyfriend Dre is wrestling with his own drama. Someone from his past wants him dead. For Dre, his response is simple—kill or be killed.

About The Author

Pamela Samuels Young has always abided by the philosophy that you create the change you want to see. She set giant-sized goals and used her talent, tenacity and positive outlook to accomplish them. Pamela consequently achieved success in both the corporate arena and literary world simultaneously.

An author, attorney and motivational speaker, Pamela spent fifteen years as Managing Counsel for Toyota, specializing in labor and employment law. While still practicing law, Pamela began moonlighting as a mystery writer because of the absence of women and people of color depicted in the legal thrillers she read. She is now an award-winning author of multiple legal thrillers, including Anybody’s Daughter, which won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction, and her new release, Abuse of Discretion, a shocking look at the juvenile justice system in the context of a troubling teen sexting case.

Prior to her legal career, spent several years as a television news writer and associate producer. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from USC and earned a master’s degree in broadcasting from Northwestern University and a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of teen sexting, child sex trafficking, self-empowerment and fiction writing.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Margaret Margaret

Seeds of Hope by Barbara Cameron

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse 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.

Seeds of Hope by Barbara Cameron is a sweet Amish fiction novel.  I always enjoy books in this genre so I wasn’t shocked when I fell in love this this book.  I have read several other books by this author so I hoped that I would enjoy this one like I did those books.  I really loved that this book included more than just the typical Amish characters.  I love when the authors bring in characters that are just “normal” people.  I was a huge fan of Mark right from the start and I didn’t stop loving him.  Miriam got on my nerves from time to time but in the end I did fall in love with her as well.  If you love Amish fiction than I would recommend this book to you.

About The Book

Miriam Troyer has had a secret crush on Mark Byler since she was a teenager, but she knows they can never have a relationship: Mark is a big-city attorney and an Englischer. Her Amish community is too far removed from all he knows-and she loves her quiet way of life.

Mark has always loved his visits to his grandfather’s farm, but he’s convinced the Amish life isn’t for him. There’s so much of the world to see and experience, and the excitement of his successful law practice can’t be matched by the slow pace of life found back home in the country.

But when things go wrong and his firm distances itself from him to try to save themselves, Mark finds himself back at his grandfather’s farm. Could life in this simple world be worth living after all? Especially when the teenager he remembers has grown into a woman that could be his future. Suddenly, these two people whose lives seem so far apart may get a chance to really see each other for the first time.

About The Author

Barbara Cameron has a heart for writing about the spiritual values and simple joys of the Amish. She is the best-selling author of more than 40 fiction and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies, and the winner of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Her books have been nominated for Carol Awards and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award from RWA’s Faith, Hope, and Love chapter. Barbara resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Find out more about Barbara at http://barbaracameron.com.

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The Solicitor by Sean Keefer

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Pump Up Your Book 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.

The Solicitor by Sean Keefer had me hooked right from the prologue, and I didn’t want to stop reading it until I was done with the book.  I can’t really pinpoint what I loved so much about this book, but I didn’t want to put it down while I was at work or when it was time to go to bed.  This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the book.  I really liked the characters in this book because I felt like they could have been real people.  I was kind of sad when the book was over because I feel like I was saying goodbye to friends.  I don’t know that there is anything wrong that I can say about this book.   This author has written one other book that I am hoping I will be able to read later.  If you like to read mystery books, I know you will enjoy this book as much as I do.

About The Book

Title: THE SOLICITOR
Author: Sean Keefer
Publisher: Four Hounds Creative
Pages: 386
Genre: Mystery

When you make your living fighting for justice, the last place you expect to wake up is behind bars.

Attorney Noah Parks has spent his life keeping people out of jail.  When he’s charged with the murder of a candidate for Charleston County Solicitor he finds himself on the wrong side of the law for a crime he says he didn’t commit.

No longer fighting for others and now relying on the help of the few people he does trust, Noah must fight to clear his name and find the real killer before it’s too late.

His search will lead him through a maze of deceptions, lies, family turmoil and treachery that spans generations.

The Solicitor is set in historic Charleston and the surrounding South Carolina Lowcountry where under the surface things are not always as genteel as they appear.

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About The Author

While growing up in South Carolina, Sean didn’t realize it, but he was absorbing the styles, mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, dialects and the culture of his home.   Add to this the time he spent traveling the other Carolina for school and then North America for work, he collected a vast array of experiences and observations from which to draw upon and bring together in his writing.

After studying law in North Carolina, Sean settled in Charleston, South Carolina and instantly became enamored with the people as well as the city.

One day he started writing and the words, generally, kept flowing. A page became a chapter which ultimately became a book known as The Trust.  After this the process started again and The Solicitor was the end result. Hopefully, if you are reading this you either have, or soon will have, your very own copy of one or both.

The experience of taking two novels from conceptualization to print has been one of frustration peppered with increasing amounts of reward.  Each step from the first words hitting the page to ultimately holding a book in hand has been a personal reward.

When Sean is not writing he practices Family Law and works as a Domestic Mediator and lives with his Wife and an ever-expanding pack of rescue canines – the current count is 4.  As well, Sean can frequently be found wandering the lowcountry of South Carolina with his camera, playing guitar in assorted venues around Charleston or exploring the underwater world of the southeast.

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Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse 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.

Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman was a great book.  The first thing I want to say is that if you don’t like to read books that have domestic violence in them than I would skip this book because that is a big theme in the book.  I have read several other books by this author in the past, and I have liked the ones that I have read.   I really enjoy books like this one, and I rarely find one that I don’t want.  Like most books in this genre, I was able to figure out what was going to happen by the end of the book.  It did keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the first half of the book, but even though by then I had figured out what was going to happen I still read it right through until the end because I had to know all of the details.  I really enjoyed all of the characters in the book well everyone but Kaylene’s husband.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Christian legal thrillers.  If you have read it what did you think of it?

About The Book

Arson wasn’t the only fire that ignited between them.
Promises shattered.
Lies spoken.
She was arrested.
He returned to the safety of his wealthy parents.
Almost ten years later, Hadley and Monroe are both specialists in the field of speech therapy. They meet again . . . thrown together to help a four-year-old-girl rendered mute after being rescued from a fire.
Years of secrets and anger beg to be set free as Hadley and Monroe try to push aside past hurts and find common ground in order to help the traumatized child and her family.
Can the love of Christmas past drift into the present, bringing healing and hope for all?

About The Author

Cara Putman is the author of more than 25 legal thrillers, historical romances, and romantic suspense novels. She has won or been a finalist for honors including the ACFW Book of the Year and the Christian Retailing’s BEST Award. Cara graduated high school at 16, college at 20, completed her law degree at 27, and recently received her MBA. She is a practicing attorney, teaches undergraduate and graduate law courses at a Big Ten business school, and is a homeschooling mom of four. She lives with her husband and children in Indiana.
 
Find out more about Cara at
http://caraputman.com. 

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All Things Now Living by Rondi Bauer Olson

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse 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.

All Things Now Living by Rondi Bauer Olson was a good book.    I really did enjoy this book but I found that I was always comparing it to 1984 by George Orwell and Divergent by Veronica Roth.  Those are my favorite two books in this genre so I always end up comparing them all when I am reading.  Now with that being said I really did enjoy this book and I can’t wait to more books in this series.  Unlike the other books that I mention this book didn’t have anything it in that might offend people and I think it would be great for teenagers of all ages.  I really enjoyed this authors writing and like I said I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.  This book didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat and I was able to figure out how it was going to end but that didn’t bother me in the least.  If you love dystopian novels I am sure that you will enjoy this book as much I have.

About The Book

Her whole life Amy has been taught the people of New Lithisle deserve to die, but when she falls for Daniel, she determines to save him.

Sixteen-year-old Amy doesn’t like anything to die, she won’t even eat the goats or chickens her mama has butchered every fall, but she can’t let herself pity the inhabitants of New Lithisle. In a few short months the dome they built to isolate themselves from the deadly pandemic is predicted to collapse, but her whole life Amy has been taught it’s God’s will they die. They traded their souls for immunity to the swine flu virus, brought God’s curse upon themselves by adding pig genes to their own.
Then, while on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy is accidentally trapped in New Lithisle. At first her only goal is to escape, but when she meets Daniel, a New Lithisle boy, she begins to question how less-than-human the people of New Lithisle are.

Amy’s feelings grow even more conflicted when she learns she didn’t end up in New Lithisle by mistake. Her father is secretly a sympathizer, and was trying to prevent the coming destruction.

Now time is running short and Amy has to decide if she will bring the computer program her father wrote to his contact or save herself. Installing the program could prevent the dome’s collapse, but if Amy doesn’t find her father’s contact in time, she’ll die, along with everyone else.

About The Author

Rondi Bauer Olson is a reader and writer from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she lives on a hobby farm with her husband, Kurt. She has four grown children, works as a nurse, and also owns a gift shop within view of beautiful Lake Superior.

Find out more about Rondi at http://rondibauerolson.weebly.com.

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All Things Now Living Rondi Bauer Olson

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Christmas At Grey Sage by Phyllis Clark Nichols

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse 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.

Christmas At Grey Sage by Phyllis Clark Nichols this was a sweet story that I loved right from the first page. There were times where I was confused because I didn’t know any of the back stories but in time it all comes out, and you finally understand things that are alluded to during the first few chapters in the book.  I really enjoyed this author’s writing so much so that I can’t wait to read more books by her shortly.  I liked that her characters seemed like they could be real people and I always love when that happens.  I also love to read heartwarming books this time of year, and this one didn’t let me down.  If you like Christmas books and love seeing people work through their problems than I am sure you will love this book as much as I did.  What Christmas books do you enjoy?

About The Book

This Christmas, there’s plenty of room at the inn.

Nestled in the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe, the Grey Sage Inn looks like the perfect place for weary travelers to escape the craziness of the Christmas season. There’s plenty to see in historic Santa Fe during the day, and the inn’s owners, Maude and Silas Thornhill, are happy to spend their evenings hosting this year’s guests from across the country.But an unusual snowstorm throws a wrench in the festive mood. The sprawling inn becomes close quarters as stranded guests discover this Christmas won’t be the relaxed vacation they expected. Tension and fear mount as the storm worsens, and Silas, a retired doctor, is called away in the middle of the night to care for a neighbor. The snow and stress unlocks tongues-and in the unexpected conversation that follows, secrets and pasts are revealed, and hearts are healed.

In the midst of snowdrifts and fireside conversations, of tales of days gone by, the warmth of Christmas brings a renewed hope as these trapped strangers become friends-proof again that the joy, hope, peace, and love of Christmas can be experienced no matter where you are.

About The Author

Phyllis Clark Nichols believes everyone could use a little more hope and light. Her character-driven Southern fiction explores profound human questions from within the simple lives of small town communities you just know you’ve visited before. With a love for nature, art, faith and ordinary people, she tells redemptive tales of loss and recovery, estrangement and connection, longing and fulfillment, often through surprisingly serendipitous events. Phyllis grew up in the deep shade of magnolia trees in South Georgia. Now she lives in the Texas Hill Country with her portrait-artist husband, where red birds and axis deer are her ever-ravenous neighbors. She is an English major and classically-trained musician, seminary graduate, concert artist and co-founder of a national cable network for the health and disability-related programming. After retiring as a cable network executive, Phyllis began leading mission teams to orphanages in Guatemala and now serves on three non-profit boards where she works with others who are equally passionate about bringing hope and light to those who need it most.

Find out more about Phyllis at http://www.phyllisclarknichols.com.

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