iRead Book Reviews

Folly At The Fair by Kari Bovee

 

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

Folly At The Fair by Kari Bovee was an interesting book but not one of my favorites.  I had a tough time getting interested in this book.  I found that I would put it down and then force myself to pick it up again.  I am not sure why I had such a hard time with this book.  The one thing I can tell you is that I hated Frank right from the start, and my thoughts didn’t change by the time that I finished the book.  I didn’t find that this book was super suspenseful, but I did enjoy the mystery parts of this book.  I wouldn’t recommend this book to you if swearing in books bothers you.  It doesn’t bother me, but it might be bothersome, so I wanted to make people aware of that.  I did like that this book was about a person that I have heard so much about.  I know that the things that happened in this book didn’t happen but I loved that the main character was someone that I had heard of.  If you are a fan of historical fiction books I would give this book a shot. 

About The Book

Book Title: Folley at the Fair (An Annie Oakley Mystery) by Kari Bovee
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 + yrs), 322 pages
Genre:  Historical Mystery
Publisher:  Bosque Publishing
Release date:   June 2020
Content Rating:  R for some swearing, violence, and mature themes.

Book Description:

She never misses a target. But unless she can solve this murder, she’ll become one… Chicago World’s Fair, 1893. “Little Sure Shot” Annie Oakley is exhausted from her work with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. But when a fellow performer scuffles with a man who threatens her harm, she has to keep her eyes peeled. And when the heckler is found dead under the Ferris Wheel, Annie won’t rest until she proves her defender is innocent. Before she can rustle up any clues, an old friend asks Annie to protect her young daughter. And as more bodies turn up around the grounds, she’s going to need all her sharpshooting skills just to stay alive. Can Annie live up to her reputation and put a bullseye on the killer? Folly at the Fair is the third book in the Annie Oakley Mystery historical fiction series. If you like strong heroines, Wild West adventures, and suspenseful twists and turns, then you’ll love Kari Bovee’s fast-paced whodunit.

About The Author

When she’s not on a horse, or walking along the beautiful cottonwood-laden acequias of Corrales, New Mexico; or basking on white sand beaches under the Big Island Hawaiian sun, Kari Bovee is escaping into the past—scheming murder and mayhem for her characters both real and imagined, and helping them to find order in the chaos of her action-packed novels. Empowered women in history, horses, unconventional characters, and real-life historical events fill the pages of Kari Bovée’s articles and historical mystery musings and manuscripts. An award-winning author, Bovée was honored with the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards Hillerman Award for Southwestern Fiction for her novel Girl with a Gun. The novel also received First Place in the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards in the Mystery/Crime category, and is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards, as well as the Next Generation Indie Awards. Her novel Grace in the Wings is a Finalist for the 2019 International Chanticleer Chatelaine Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards. Her novel Peccadillo at the Palace is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the 2019 International Goethe Awards, as well as a Finalist in the 2019 Best Book Awards Historical Fiction category. Bovée has worked as a technical writer for a Fortune 500 Company, has written non-fiction for magazines and newsletters, and has worked in the education field as a teacher and educational consultant. She and her husband, Kevin, spend their time between their horse property in the beautiful Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, and their condo on the sunny shores of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

​Connect with the author:  Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
~ Pinterest

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The Takeaway Men by Meryl Ain

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours 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 Takeaway Men by Meryl Ain was an amazing book.  If you have read any of my other reviews you know how I feel about WWII books but this is the first book I have read about the aftermath of the war.  It never crossed my mind how hard it would be for people and kids to adjust after the war.  This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed her writing.  She is an author that I know I will read more books by her in the future.  I also think I am going to see if I can’t find other books like this one because of how much I enjoyed this one.  I fell in love with these characters right from the start of the book and I was sad when I was done with this book because I missed these characters.  This book left me feeling sad because of everything these poor people went through and then move to the US and crazy things happen here.  If you are looking for a different WWII book to read I would recommend this one to you and I am sure you will love it as much as I did.

About The Book

Book Title:  The Takeaway Men by Meryl Ain
Category:  Adult fiction 18 yrs +,  264 pages
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Publisher:  Sparkpress
Release date:   August 4, 2020
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M because there are references to extra-marital affairs. There is no explicit sex in the book.

With the cloud of the Holocaust still looming over them, twin sisters Bronka and Johanna Lubinski and their parents arrive in the US from a Displaced Persons Camp. In the years after World War II, they experience the difficulties of adjusting to American culture as well as the burgeoning fear of the Cold War. Years later, the discovery of a former Nazi hiding in their community brings the Holocaust out of the shadows. As the girls get older, they start to wonder about their parents’ pasts, and they begin to demand answers. But it soon becomes clear that those memories will be more difficult and painful to uncover than they could have anticipated. Poignant and haunting, The Takeaway Men explores the impact of immigration, identity, prejudice, secrets, and lies on parents and children in mid-twentieth-century America.

About The Author

Meryl Ain’s articles and essays have appeared in Huffington Post, The New York Jewish Week, The New York Times, Newsday and other publications. The Takeaway Men is her debut novel. In 2014, she co-authored the award-winning book, The Living Memories Project: Legacies That Last, and in 2016, wrote a companion workbook, My Living Memories Project Journal. She is a sought-after speaker and has been interviewed on television, radio, and podcasts. She is a career educator and is proud to be both a teacher and student of history. She has also worked as a school administrator. The Takeaway Men is the result of her life-long quest to learn more about the Holocaust, a thirst that was first triggered by reading The Diary of Anne Frank in the sixth grade. While teaching high school history, she introduced her students to the study of the Holocaust. At the same time, she also developed an enduring fascination with teaching about and researching the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg case. An interview with Robert Meeropol, the younger son of the Rosenbergs, is featured in her book, The Living Memories Project. The book also includes an interview with Holocaust survivor, Boris Chartan, the founder of the Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, New York. Meryl holds a BA from Queens College, an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an Ed.D. from Hofstra University. She lives in New York with her husband, Stewart. They have three married sons and six grandchildren.

​Connect with the author:  Website  ~ Facebook ~  Twitter ~ Instagram

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A Child Lost by Michelle Cox

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours 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.

A Child Lost by Michelle Cox was an interesting book.  There are five or six books before this one in the series and I was able to just jump in with this book and understand what was going on.  I did at times wish that I knew the back stories of the characters but it was only because I am noisy and not because you needed to know it all in order to understand what is happening in this book.  This book also reminded me of how things were different when it comes to people having epilepsy back when this book took place and how we treat people who have it now.  Even though the author rated the content of this book as an “R” I didn’t  find any spot that made me feel like it needed to be that rating.  I am not the biggest fan of historical fiction but I really did enjoy this story and this one made me add this author to my ever growing lists of authors that I want to read more books by in the future.  If you are looking for a different type of book to read this summer I would pick this one up and check it out.

About The Book

Series Title:  A CHILD LOST (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel #5) by Michelle Cox
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+)
Genre:  Historical Mystery
Publisher:  She Writes Press
Release dates:   April 2020
Content Rating: R: My book is rated R for 2 sex scenes that are somewhat explicit but which are tastefully done. There is periodic swearing (not excessive), but no violence.

A spiritualist, an insane asylum, a lost little girl . . .

When Clive, anxious to distract a depressed Henrietta, begs Sergeant Frank Davis for a case, he is assigned to investigating a seemingly boring affair: a spiritualist woman operating in an abandoned schoolhouse on the edge of town who is suspected of robbing people of their valuables. What begins as an open and shut case becomes more complicated, however, when Henrietta―much to Clive’s dismay―begins to believe the spiritualist’s strange ramblings.

Meanwhile, Elsie begs Clive and Henrietta to help her and the object of her budding love, Gunther, locate the whereabouts of one Liesel Klinkhammer, the German woman Gunther has traveled to America to find and the mother of the little girl, Anna, whom he has brought along with him. The search leads them to Dunning Asylum, where they discover some terrible truths about Liesel. When the child, Anna, is herself mistakenly admitted to the asylum after an epileptic fit, Clive and Henrietta return to Dunning to retrieve her. This time, however, Henrietta begins to suspect that something darker may be happening. When Clive doesn’t believe her, she decides to take matters into her own hands . . . with horrifying results.

About The Author

Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents. She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there. Coincidentally, her books have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and many others, so she might be on to something. Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.

Connect with the Author:
website ~ facebook ~twitter ~ instagram ~ goodreads

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2020 Margaret Margaret

The Beijing Memorandum by JB Morris

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours 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 Beijing Memorandum by JB Morris wasn’t my favorite book.  I don’t know that I can even tell you what I didn’t like about this book but I struggled to read it.  It took me a month to get through this book because I didn’t ever get hooked on what was happening. This is the third book in the series and I didn’t read the other two books so maybe I missed something.  I also felt like I was never able to relate to any of the characters so that was hard as well. It is very well written and I kept reading it because I hoped that it would get better but it never did that for me.  The one thing I did like about this book was that it made me think about what would happen if the same thing happened in today’s world. How much would it change our world and what type of changes would happen. I think that if you like heavy books on topics that might just happen you will probably enjoy this book. It just wasn’t the right fit for me and the books that I usually read.

About The Book

Book Title:  The Beijing Memorandum by JB Morris
Category:  Adult Fiction, 538 pages
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  JB Morris
Release date:   November 25, 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 (There is violence and profanity including f-word. There is no explicit sex.)

The headlines read:

U. S. Bolstering Pacific Military Forces to Counter ‘Massive’ Beijing Buildup.
Pentagon Acknowledges Beijing Seeks Global Supremacy.

This is what the news media is saying. But what exactly is happening behind closed doors?

The Beijing Memorandum takes reader on a thrill ride from the heavily guarded Zhongnanhai compound in Beijing to the FBI Headquarters in the Nation’s Capital to the White House’s Situation Room to the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City.

Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Moses Remington knew terror firsthand. He saw it during his combat deployments in Fallujah, Iraq and in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He saw it again in Mexico when he stumbled across China’s secret plan.
Now, he must dodge Chinese assassins and an FBI dragnet to save Consulate General Gao Quan and his family from certain execution to disclose China’s secret plans to the world.

About The Author

JB Morris is an international bestselling thriller author with a unique writing style & received two Reader’s Favorite FIVE-STAR awards for writing excellence.

Connect with the author:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  

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Killer Resolutions by Elizabeth McKenna

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours  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.

Killer Resolutions by Elizabeth McKenna was an interesting and fast read for me.  I was able to get through this book about a day and I loved that. I was sucked right into this story from the very first chapter and I was left feeling sad once it was over because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters.  It made me sad that this was a short book because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters. I fell in love with Dani and Nate right from the start of the book. I was able to figure out what was going to happen pretty early on while I was reading but that didn’t bother me in the least.  If you are looking for a quick book to read this winter I would sure pick up a copy of this book and give it a shot.

About The Book

Book Title:  Killer Resolutions by Elizabeth McKenna
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  174 (excluding bonus materials, which should not be reviewed)
Genre:  Mystery – Suspense
Publisher:  Elizabeth McKenna
Release date:   October, 2019
Tour dates: Dec 2 to Dec 13, 2019
Content Rating: R: There is profanity, including 12 F-bombs. There are numerous murders, though nothing is described in over-the-top gore. There are sexual conversations between characters and kissing as well as an off-page love scene.

For fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None . . .

In a remote lodge in northern Wisconsin, friends gather for a festive, New Year’s Eve weekend. When a blizzard traps them with a murderer, who will be left to kiss at midnight?

Five years ago, a tragedy shattered the friendship between Dani, her older brother, and their college pals. When her brother invites the old gang for a weekend of outdoor winter fun at a remote lodge, she sees it as a chance to reconnect and heal. But when her friends are murdered one-by-one, Dani must determine whom she can trust before she becomes the next victim.

Contains profanity, violence, and mild sexual content.

About The Author

Elizabeth McKenna’s love of books reaches back to her childhood, where her tastes ranged from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Stephen King’s horror stories. She had never read a romance novel until one Christmas when her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene). Her novels reflect her mercurial temperament and include historical romances, contemporary romances, cozy mysteries, and dark mysteries. With some being “clean” and some being “naughty,” she has a book for your every mood. Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin with her understanding husband, two beautiful daughters, and a sassy Labrador. When she isn’t writing, working, or being a mom, she’s sleeping.

Connect with the author:   Website ~  Twitter ~  Facebook  ~ Instagram

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Mayhem, Murder and the PTA by Dave Cravens

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours 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, Murder and the PTA by Dave Cravens quickly became one of my favorites.  I loved Parker right from the start of the book. There were so many times that I was left laughing at things that Parker would say and do.  I loved that this book’s main character is a strong female. I don’t think authors do that enough so when I see that an author does that I always like to bring it up.  I can say that if strong language isn’t something you are okay with then this isn’t the book for you. I did feel bad for Parker and her kids because of everything that they had gone through before the book started because I don’t know if I would be able to deal with it all.  This was a longer book but I was able to read through it pretty quickly. I also didn’t want to put this book down because I never knew what crazy thing Parker was going to do or say next. This book wasn’t super suspenseful or anything like that but as I have said several times now I was always waiting for Parker to act crazy and she never did let me down.  If swear words don’t upset you then I would for sure pick up a copy of this book because I know you enjoy Parker as much as I do.

About The Book

Book Title:  Mayhem, Murder and the PTA by Dave Cravens
Category:  Adult Fiction, 434 pages
Genre:  Mystery / Thriller
Publisher:  Amazon
Release date:   May 20, 2019
Format available for review:  print, ebook (mobi, gifted Kindle copy, ePub, PDF)
Will send print books out:  USA & Canada
Tour dates: August 19 to September 13, 2019
Content Rating:  R (Rated R mostly for language. There are adult topics of conversation, a brief scene depicting two adults having consensual sex that becomes interrupted, a murder, and several themes that touch upon drug use, adultery, pedophilia and human trafficking.)

Parker Monroe is a tough-talking investigative reporter used to writing headlines, not being the subject of them. When a key source vanishes on a politically toxic story, this single mother of three finds herself at the center of a media storm and out of a job. Ready to reset, Parker moves her family back to the rural town where she grew up. But a gossip-filled PTA, a tyrannical school principal and a gruesome murder make adjusting to the “simple life” anything but. Parker Monroe is about to chase the story of her lifetime…

About The Author

As a child, Dave Cravens planned to grow up to be a superhero, the first person to capture Bigfoot and Nessie on film, pilot experimental aircraft out of Area 51, develop cold fusion, and star and direct in his own blockbuster action movies so he could retire at the ripe age of twenty-five and raid tombs the rest of his life. Instead, he got a degree in journalism, which he hasn’t used at all other than to justify his incredibly insightful and valid complaints about the state of journalism. During his twenty-two years in the video game business, he’s written for award winning franchises, directed TV commercials and movies, sprained his ankles numerous times in ultimate frisbee games and published three original novels.

Connect with the author:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret