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MBR Bookwatch

Volume 13, Number 9 September 2014 Home | MBW Index

Table of Contents

Donovan's Bookshelf Klausner's Bookshelf Laurel's Bookshelf
Lorraine's Bookshelf Shelley's Bookshelf Shirley's Bookshelf



Donovan's Bookshelf

When All Balls Drop - The Upside of Losing Everything
Heidi Siefkas
Wheatmark
9781627871211 (paperback) $15.95
9781627871228 (ebook) $9.99
www.heidisiefkas.com www.wheatmark.com

http://www.amazon.com/When-All-Balls-Drop-Everything/dp/1627871217/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406912946&sr=1-1&keywords=When+all+balls+drop

When All Balls Drop - The Upside of Losing Everything seems to present a conundrum right from the start; for what could possibly be an 'upside' to losing everything?

Clues lie in quotes chosen for the book's introduction; especially Joseph Campbell's "We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

The life-changing accident that author Heidi Siefkas experienced was pure chance: she was struck by a falling tree limb when leaving her apartment building, and awoke in the hospital five days later with no memory of the accident. But this is only the beginning of an odyssey that changed her life, her perspective, and her health.

So how does a lifetime over-achiever cope with a life-changing accident with unknown outcomes, all out of her control? That's the meat of When All Balls Drop, which documents the many mental and physical adjustments required of a spunky go-getter who previously took her good health and high energy for granted.

The process of her recovery involved not just physical recuperation, but mental adjustments: "Would super woman take a broken neck and neurosurgery lightly? Perhaps I either didn't understand my situation or couldn't comprehend it because of brain damage - or because of denial."

Those who attack life with a similar combination of high energy and achievement will surely recognize Siefkas' attitude, which served her well when healthy, but which actually became somewhat of a detriment to her recovery process.

All this is made apparent from the start, as her drive for quick progress is thwarted by her body's slow healing processes: "I wanted to progress. Moving to another floor meant I was one step closer to returning to my life. Little did I know this hospital stay was only one stage - and a very minor stage at that - in regaining the life I knew." However, there was another hurdle slowing her recovery, the discovery of her husband's infidelity.

The reality was: Siefkas would be dependent upon others for months to come; and the life she knew and loved would never be quite the same: "...this was just the tip of the iceberg as far as regaining my lost freedoms. I didn't know I would be like a child for months, dependent on doctors, family, friends, and coworkers."

One would think this saga would appeal primarily to those also struggling with physical challenges or sudden accidents; but When All Balls Drop shouldn't be limited to those struggling with sudden health challenges. Its real value lies in outlining not just the recovery process, but the method of modifying one's routines, goals, and very independence in the face of life-changing forces.

Often one must be truly 'lost' before discovery and transformation can take place: so Siefkas finds herself adrift in routines and relationships she once took for granted: "Will I overcome these fears? Will I always live like this? Can I regain the ballsy person I once was? I'm not well enough to even call myself me."

While When All Balls Drop may sound like a chronicle of despair and frustration (and it does incorporate elements of these trying experiences), it's also a powerful chronicle of ultimate change and recovery. This is its strength: pointing out the light at the end of the tunnel. How Siefkas arrives at this point makes for a powerful story of adjustment and (ultimately) newfound growth and happiness.

Build Wealth & Spend It: Live the Life You Earned
Stanley Riggs
Monetary Publishing
9780991521500 $27.95 www.monetarypublishing.com

At first glance Build Wealth & Spend It: Live the Life You Earned sounds like yet another financial management title - with same message about the importance of saving and investment strategies.

But, wait - while 'build wealth' is a very familiar admonition, 'spend it' is a surprise twist on the topic... and financial planning readers who have been bombarded with books about cultivating frugality or investment game plans are in for something different, here.

Riggs's idea was sparked when he visited his aging mother in a nursing home and observed that her hard-earned savings were being drained by caretakers because she had money saved, while other residents who had spent their money were receiving the same services for free.

So Stanley Riggs, an orthopedic surgeon and 'serial entrepreneur', reassessed ideals of saving, spending, and economics to come up with Build Wealth & Spend It, which gives advice first on how to build net worth, and then how (and when) to strategically spend and gift it down.

Build Wealth offers some eye-opening ideas: among them that IRAs, 401(k) and Roth plans may not be good investments in comparison to investing in real assets keyed to economic cycles.

And the chapters on 'how to spend' don't just advocate draining one's assets, but managing them to protect retirement and lifestyle priorities.

If it sounds like the goal is to become penniless... it's not. It's all about strategically spending and managing wealth to avoid poverty and insurance scams alike, and teaches the basics of this management process.

There are many nuggets of wisdom along the way; from the difference between ownership of a business versus a job to understanding the distinction between investing in assets versus liabilities, and comprehending the divergences between a good investment, a forced savings plan, and a payroll confiscatory plan (when it comes to an IRA offered by one's job).

Build Wealth & Spend It: Live the Life You Earned takes conventional financial planning wisdom and turns it upside down. It acknowledges strong points of investment management processes but keeps an eye on the ultimate goal; which should be to live one's desired lifestyle in retirement years.

The result is certain to turn financial tradition on end, and provides much food for thought; especially for readers who have been bombarded with traditional financial plans and who want to place a finger on the pulse of a bigger picture.

Faith Defiled
Alex Siegel
Amazon Kindle
ASIN: B00L5V9HXE $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Defiled-Gray-Spear-Society-ebook/dp/B00L5V9HXE

Faith Defiled is the fourteenth book in the Gray Spear series! And it's important to note that each powerful book contributes to the growth of what is turning out to be an epic succession of thrillers with an edgy twist. Faith Defiled continues the tradition of exceptional thriller reading, will not disappoint any who turn to it after thirteen hair-raising adventures.

Shades of apocalypse are present in the latest confrontation: angels wing over San Francisco painting mysterious, unreadable messages in the skies and Marina and her team are tasked with discovering their real intentions.

Where most of the previous Gray Spear stories have revolved around Marina and her lover Aaron, this time Aaron is largely out of the picture (in Chicago, struggling with a cannibal outbreak), leaving Marina to test her (relatively new) capabilities as leader of the West Coast cell of the Gray Spear legionnaires.

This isn't to say that Marina and Aaron don't meet: indeed, Marina will have to journey to Aaron's increasingly-secret turf and projects to resolve her own challenges. But in this latest conflict she has some tough decisions to make, and their results will prove whether her leadership capabilities are up to the Society's greatest test yet.

God's hand is more apparent here than in many of the other Gray Spear books. The Lord holds frequent meetings, for one example, with a pair of extraordinary twins who are working on a project to make the universe safer for all life, and is an ever-present force guiding the Gray Spear's purposes.

As events unfold and Marina learns of Aaron's real work, she comes to understand that a new band of legionnaires is in the making: an immortal group that would "...police the universe forever as an immortal band of demigods. It wasn't just a new Society. It was a new reality."

But is this the kind of reality Marina envisions for her world? And in her role as leader of this group, can she accept the notion of wider responsibility not just for the Earth, but for protecting the entire universe?

All these changes are driven by love: the love of Marina and Aaron for one another, and their mutual love for the good in their world. And in a scenario where one all-important relationship could keep the universe glued together (or not), what are Marina's choices?

Expect a highly charged conclusion to the Gray Spear saga which churns out everything from monsters and angels to lovers tasked with the impossible. Against this backdrop lies the paradox of free will, the wider potential of the Society to spread its influence across not just the world but the universe, and God's hand in all matters. Stir up a gripping, challenging conclusion and you have a recommendation not for newcomers to the series, but for those who have faithfully followed the Society's evolution and who are prepared for its final incarnation and purpose.

Is the Gray Spear series truly at an end? It's hard to say; but one thing is certain: Faith Defiled is one of the most powerful since the series began, is filled with surprises and twists, and won't disappoint!

Mystery and Misadventure
M.D. Hall
M.D. Hall Publisher
ASIN: B00K23LCXY $0.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K23LCXY
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00K23LCXY

Mystery and Misadventure is a collection of seven short stories which range from the smoky allure of a Victorian-style atmosphere to science fiction - all tinged with supernatural twists that will delight any fan of Twilight Zone and similar accounts of oddities and strange encounters.

To call these tales 'horror' in the classic sense would be to do them a disservice. They feature no trappings of the obvious: no zombies, no cannibals...just subtle turns of story that sneak up on readers and conclude with suitably creepy, skin-crawling scenarios.

Take its chatty introduction: it sounds friendly and succeeds in pulling the reader into the collection, but adds an ominous overtone of threat: "Ah, there you are. I was unsure whether you would make it....Some of you seem a little nervous. Perhaps you are afraid that something within the pages might reach out to you. Please do not let that concern you; such a notion is pure fantasy, is it not? Having said that, the strangest of things can befall people when they least expect it."

And therein lies the strength of each of these tales: they excel in creating the unexpected... and in a world where stories tend to be all too predictable (and outcomes all too logical), that's saying a lot.

Mystery is subtly fused with action so that the end result of each story is a satisfying bend on reader expectation. Pulled in by intrigue, each tale is not only precise in its evolution and unexpected changes, but is cemented by realistic people, situations, and a dose of challenge that prompts each protagonist to move outside his comfort zone and, ultimately, into another world of perception.

The opening story 'The Ticket' is one such scenario, building its tale from the seemingly-ordinary event of a man facing a simple parking ticket that then changes his life. Routine and predictability are the hallmarks of Derek's world: that a parking ticket could challenge and change this foundation is testimony to his obsession with order and the impact of its demise: "Derek loved order. With rules a person knew where he stood. Matters became complicated when people were lax and did not apply them, but that was their problem."

Since it's impossible for Derek to break the rules he holds so dear, the parking ticket must represent far more than a lapse in consciousness...but when slips keep on occurring, Derek is faced with an impossible world in which boundaries are fluid and 'rules' no longer apply.

What's happened to the reality he once counted on? That's for Derek (and readers) to find out.

Ditto with 'The Door', which sets the scene of a landlord who considers himself a down-to-earth businessman ... until a stubborn door that won't close thwarts his efforts and changes his life. Said pesky door only opens to a bigger problem as Henry finds his pragmatic, callous attitude towards life comes back to bite him.

If there is such a thing as divine retribution or just desserts, it often appears in these stories, where protagonists eventually find that their expectations create realities they weren't expecting.

Any who appreciate the twists and turns of approaches such as Twilight Zone will find Mystery and Misadventure a winning collection, and anything but predictable!

Airstream
Audrey Henderson
Homebound Publications
9781938846427 $16.95
Release date: November 11, 2014
http://homeboundpublications.com

The poetry collection Airstream has already earned the accolade of being a finalist in Homebound Publications' poetry contest - but that's not why it's being recommended, here.

Nor is it being recommended for its succinct verses, its grounding in literary technique, or even its striking imagery ("I can tell you that the road is gone. I can tell you/that the houses are gone and the gas station, but you will/not understand until you step on the tarmac and it crumbles/and you will say The road is gone! The houses are gone!/Their gardens, their petunias and photographs are sucked/into the brown roar.")

Its strength lies in its skill of observing and depicting the clashes between urbanization and rural environments, for its reflections on the process of change and transformation, and for its nuggets of combined wisdom and twists of story which incorporate powerful commentary within its scenarios: "The end of the world/is on our doorstep. People stare at it. You cannot go/any farther, they say. No-one has information. No-one/knows whether the whole world is gone or half the world or one millionth of it. We are solemn and gingerly by/the precipice."

The best free verse poem becomes more than the sum of its parts. As an observational piece, the work moves between chaos and surprise, creating a milieu that transcends personal experience and moves neatly into world observations and bigger pictures of transformation.

Airstream's ability to segue between personal and wider worlds is one device which sets it apart from other poetry collections: all it takes for Henderson to employ these connections is a single observation ("Please remove the everlasting light bulb./It casts a sterile glow on your small plot of land.") which moves into ever-widening circles of greater perspective ("...photons emitted from your light/have reached the constellation of Andromeda/where they believe you are the only god of a faded sun.")

That Airstream achieves all this is what makes it a standout from other poetry collections: a highly recommended pick for poetry enthusiasts who seek free verse, mind-popping images, and equally insightful commentary on the structures and blasphemies of man-made worlds.

Match: Bringing Will and Heart into Alignment - 90 Days of Practice
Gunilla Norris
Homebound Publications
9781938846229 $16.95
Release date: November 11, 2014
http://homeboundpublications.com

A striking book cover showing a close-up of a matchbook and a lit match visually captures the heart of a fiery account designed to inspire passion in those who would discover a method for bringing will and heart into alignment.

Match is not so much an inspirational piece as it is a practice workbook centered on making conscious decisions to align spirit with growth methods. As such, readers who turn to Match should be prepared to follow exercises, consider choices for different paths and beliefs, and commit to a 90-day regimen of self-improvement. Without such an intention, its message will be lost.

Match offers two sections: first, the beginning ('Why Practice') discusses 'deep intention' and why a serious commitment to this program is both beneficial and necessary. It basically warns that the 90 days mentioned is a requirement, not a suggestion; and it discusses what is required for such a course of action. From emotional involvement to understanding how this concrete method relates to honing the heart's desire, this introduction serves as both a warning and as an invitation to the work that follows.

Don't look to Match to do the work 'for you': it doesn't offer the kind of guidance that will lead to rote practices or blind following.

Instead, it outlines a basic course of action and reinforces these with a set of techniques for considering the effects of doubt, fear, and the process of owning one's life: "Real observation is asked of us. It is to notice, with respect the act of scratching the match-head on the strike plate of the matchbox, of seeing the fire flare up. It is to not skip one moment of the flame moving along the wood of the match. It is to feel our fingers grow warm as the heat comes closer. It is to be awake as our intent brands us into full owner-ship of it in mind and in body."

Self-improvement readers all too often receive books of admonitions that focus more on end results than the actual nuts and bolts of the process itself. Match is all about firing up a course of action and committing to its enactment: and if 90 days of focused meditations and reflection sounds easy - it's not. And if it's expected that 90 days will end the process, be advised: this is only the beginning of a lifelong journey: "...daring to live our longing is a process for a lifetime. It cannot be hurried. It will have its ups and its downs. There will be moments of lucid understanding and moments of dullness and discouragement. But not to be aware of and care for our inner being is merely to exist. It is not to live."

Those ready to undertake such a journey will find no better starting point than Match.

The Silver Tower
Colee Firman
http://www.unbindingfate.com
No ISBN, $2.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

The Silver Tower is Book One of a series, and tells of an eighteen-year-old whose life seems predetermined, as has her parents: to become a Guide for The Silver Tower after she graduates from school and leaves home. All that's left to do before this goal is reached is to complete some seemingly-routine fieldwork - and that's where the unexpected occurs.

Sophie's encounters are anything but what she anticipates, from fellow classmates using an ancient, forbidden relic outside school grounds to Leo, whose appearance and involvement in her life brings with it a sense of adventure and disaster that keep her on a precarious emotional footing.

One interesting thing to note: many key objects and concepts are in capital letters. In the first paragraph alone there's the Compass, Sophie is Hailed, and she may be late to meet her Grantee. Though these capitalizations of common words may at first feel annoying, they serve to highlight important concepts as through further explanations stem from an encounter with one Bert: "The reason she was Hailed to them was always the same. They were doing something to interfere with enough of the right people that the Silver Tower was hired to adjust their actions. It was kind of like putting a hit out on them without the messy death part. Although the exact way their Compasses worked was a carefully guarded secret, it was all rooted in science. Like a fingerprint, each human brain sends out a unique signal called a Glint. To someone with the right tools, the Glint could act as a beacon, leading you to them. "

Of necessity, there's a lot of such explanation in the first few chapters as they set the stage for what is to come. The capitalizations continue as Collectors, Sandstone, and other devices and ideas enter the story, and serve to identify and reinforce some of the relics and concepts of The Silver Tower.

With setting and paranormal concepts under their belt, readers are able to enter the heart of the story: a combination of mystery, romance, and fantasy where Sophie proves not just another Academy graduate, but a pivotal force in a world-changing conflict.

Sophie's world has never been normal: committed to The Silver Tower, she's not allowed to date, has been taught to set aside personal desire for the greater good, and is about to break all the rules that have injected her life with a higher purpose.

While some of the ideas seem predictable, it's Sophie's spunky personality and reactions to events that make for a story line that's satisfyingly rich in concept, setting, and psychology.

From Sophie's issues with her parents ("Her mother looked down at the phone and then back at Sophie. "You didn't have to do that." "I know," she said, stretching the shoulder she'd dislocated when she fell into the well. It had been basically pain free for the last week or so, but between lugging Gabby around and the roll in the grass with Leo, it was pretty sore. "So remember that the next time you stand by and watch while Dad tries to screw me over." Anastacia circled her eyes from Sophie to Dominic. "She's more like her father than I thought.") to her blossoming romance, independence, and investigation into a mystery, readers are drawn (some might even say, compelled) to absorb the atmosphere and dark drama that is The Silver Tower.

For mature teens to adult readers, The Silver Tower offers action, tension and a satisfyingly complex story line that appears overly intricate in the first few chapters, but quickly transforms into an absorbing read that's hard to put down.

Whitehorse Peak
P.G. Badzey
CreateSpace
ASIN: B00I5S9B1S $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Whitehorse-Peak-Grey-Riders-Badzey-ebook/dp/B00I5S9B1S/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1405525005

Goblins, wizards and elves are the foundations of fantasy writing - and so have long lost their allure as exceptional draws to the genre. And every fantasy seems to revolve around an epic quest. So what's left to draw in readers? The force of psychological connection remains a good reason for choosing one fantasy read over another.

As Book One of the 'Grey Riders' series, Whitehorse Peak promises goblins, wizards, elves, and further books in a series. But even ancient prophecy and epic quests would be one-dimensional without the binding force of interpersonal relationships to involve readers - and here's where Whitehorse Peak excels, standing out from the crowd of fantasy adventures by providing a tale replete with friendships and strong connections between protagonists.

Dar Cabot is the force tying all these associations together, but at first he doesn't seem to be much more than a hunter and a goblin fighter. Adept in these skills, Dar has changed thanks to much training: the only problem is that those who have long known him don't see these changes. Part of the problem lies in local history and part lies with the path he's chosen: "Free-lance mercenaries were people who came and went from Forester, larger-than-life figures with exotic tales and more exotic magic. They weren't hometown boys who'd once been toddlers wandering around in diapers. Most thought "taking the free-lance" was the pastime of idiots: years of training for a chance to get killed at an early age."

Another 'plus' - there are touches of emotional connection throughout the story - even feelings towards a mortal enemy ("Past encounters, usually in the company of his mentor, let him see death in its finality, but he still felt an emptiness and nausea, even for a creature of Darkness.") - and this approach leads to involvements on a different level than that of a single adventure story, reaching deeper to create a riveting, emotionally powerful story line.

All the trappings of a good fantasy are here (an epic quest, ruins, magic, powerful beings), but all this would be lost were it not for the added emotional impact of enemies and friendships, equally-strong male and female protagonists, and (for those who enjoy military clashes) battle scenes that are vibrant with realistic action: "The Forester soldiery burst forth from the main gate, bristling with spearpoints like some massive, many-legged hedgehog, the citizens right behind them. Nolan rode at their head, shining bright in full armor. The force thundered out into the smoke and fire. A hail of arrows soared from the town walls overhead, arcing out at the unseen enemy."

It's these psychological insights and revelations ("She had a kind, gentle heart and he found, to his surprise, that she detested violence. From the way she handled herself in combat, he would have come to a different conclusion.") that keep readers on their toes and prevent the ennui that can stem from the kinds of dry, predictable characters and outcomes that too often dominate the fantasy genre.

Though there's much (necessary) detail initially provided on setting, history, and protagonists in the first few chapters, Whitehorse Peak sets its story line and then flies with an epic fantasy quest replete with battles, confrontations, and a key dose of emotional insight throughout.

Spirit Tale Two: The Seven Teachers - The Dean
Rabbi Sipporah Joseph
Spirit Tales Books
9781497324930 $14.13
www.spirittalesbookseries.com

Spirit Tale Two: The Seven Teachers - The Dean begins a series of seven stories told by the Sephardic Jewish Grandpa Sereno. Rabbi Joseph's Spirit Tales series represents religious fiction that is based on Jewish tradition, values and storytelling, but written to be accessible to readers of all faiths.

The Wheelwork introduced this concept and the 'Seven Teachers' sequence of books takes it a step further, embarking on a journey whereby each teacher offers further spiritual and ethical insights. Familiarity with The Wheelwork is not a requirement for this second book, which will please newcomers and prior readers alike.

A prologue explains the character of Grandpa Sereno and his importance to a large family, while the tale itself is presented in a short, pamphlet-appearing booklet of under 40 pages, which makes it accessible to both busy learners and non-readers alike.

Connections are drawn between the spiritual/metaphysical world and life experiences, with individual strengths and purposes linked to their world impact: "Watch what you say. Because here everything you say becomes visible; even as much as seven times more than usual" the Dean explained."

Perhaps this is the most valuable lesson the Dean can impart: that individual actions, words, and choices impact and hold consequences for the wider world around us.

A being called the 'Announcer' is introduced by Grandpa, setting the stage for revelations about an invisible dimension of possibilities that all visitors to it perceive differently.

Exploration of this dimension and one's role in it is what Spirit Tale Two: The Seven Teachers - The Dean is all about, offering the framework and basic setting for a series of teachings connecting spiritual with earthly concerns and offering readers of all ages an opportunity to reflect on the larger meaning of experience and discovery.

Characters of students are tested, story sequences offer gentle reflections on life and God's meaning, and the end result is an easily-digested, authentic introduction to a series designed to lead all ages to a greater understanding of self and spirit.

Sequence of Self
Don Balch
Booktagon
ASIN: B00KMSUZGE $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KMSUZGE

January is a mother of two who supports herself with petty white collar crime and lives a life on the edge; but her transgressions are fairly innocuous ... so when she's attacked and beaten in her home, she has two clear choices: exact revenge on the perp (whom she actually knows), or change her lifestyle.

While it may seem clear to the reader what her choice should be, it's not clear to January, whose life (as always) been one of struggle and wrong decisions. And as with many life-altering catastrophes, the attack sends January on a journey not only to pick a different path through life, but to better see opportunities for change.

Sequence of Self therefore appears to readers in the guise of a thriller, but incorporates enough psychological introspection to elevate it to the status of a versatile novel examining layers of action, reaction, and possibility: delightfully intricate approaches one normally doesn't anticipate from a story of intrigue and revenge.

So if it's a quick, entertaining mystery you seek without depth and complexity, look elsewhere: there are plenty of genre writings that don't hold a candle of complexity to Sequence of Self - and therein lays its unique strength.

All this is narrated in the form of 'sequences' that begin 722 days prior, with January trying to pick out a perp from a lineup. From the start, descriptions are exceptionally vivid in their sense of sight and impressions of atmosphere: readers almost feel like they are part of January: "Before she could brace herself, the room erupted: green light; deep ocean-green, and she faced off against five men, all of whom stood in this light, all of whom squinted into the window. The cop with the cough moved behind her as his hack turned grotesquely productive."

A memory flashback carries readers 13 days prior to that event, presenting impressions from one Rey as he is being released from prison into a (hopefully) new life. Once again the sights, smells, and sounds of events all weave into Rey's observations to not just inform readers, but to involve and immerse every step of the way: "The clutch's gears shrieked quite a bit, but Henry finally sank it, and the bus rolled away. Rey stood there, toes east. After eight fucking years, the damp, gloomy morning never looked so good. Exhaust fumes couldn't have smelled better."

The pizza scam (which January and her boyfriend George have honed into a fine art) is lucrative, but George always has dreams for more money and bigger schemes: schemes that could land them in jail and lose her children - and this, January won't tolerate.

She's also been careful to let loose of some of her self-destructive patterns of the past, which have included obviously-abusive relationships: "She had to know he was one of the good ones, a good egg as Harold had described her, different from the others, her father for instance, who always piled blame on her mother for the very same type of so-called accidents. She needed to know George was different from the boyfriend she'd run away with so many years ago, a guy who had also accidentally hit her, but with a lamp."

As George moves on to bigger and better schemes, January is faced with decisions that will involve her with a host of other characters and their special interests and plans; but it's the attack that ignites her survival instinct and pushes her to do what the justice system won't: see that the attacker she knows is punished for his crime, and prevent her boyfriend from exacting the kind of revenge that could result in life in prison.

Jan faces a virtual smorgasbord of decisions, choices, and life-altering paths in Sequence of Self: all of which trace her ballet dance between a life of crime, squalor and increasing threat to a world which incorporates family and better choices.

Before she can truly change, Jan has to hone her own sense of self - and to realize the 'tipping points' separating this self from her boyfriends' desires: "You get an idea in your head that pertains to me - that's why I hung those pictures in my office - of the water - and when she said this, he glanced around as if they were still downstairs, ¯to remind me - it's like I want to snorkel, but you want to go boating, and instead of acceding to whatever I want or need, you somehow end up dragging me not toward the boat because that would be too direct. Instead, you start dragging me toward the bottom of the ocean - gradually, inch-by-inch, so that it's sort of in line with what I was wanting but not really. Then the pressure increases, but you go so slowly, I'm not even aware of how the pressure is really increasing or what it'll even do. When everything becomes too much, you're right there, which is especially useful if I panic. Then - goodbye snorkeling - off to safety we go - to the boat, which is where you wanted to go in the first place. We're supposed to be working together, but the more I think about it, the more I realize just how much energy I expend to combat you."

Readers are swept along in January's dance between justice and revenge, independence and connection, and abuse and freedom. Her passion is charismatic, her confusion between opportunity and bad decisions is realistic and involving, and her attempts to seek justice on her own terms are unpredictable and therefore engrossing.

Anticipate a thriller, a psychological drama, and a feisty protagonist determined to make better decisions and take control of her life: that's the heart of Sequence of Self, recommended for novel readers seeking far more than one-dimensional protagonists or conflicts.

The Creative Writer's Journal and Handbook
Trisha Sugarek
Publisher: Indie
9781499728750 $12.95
http://www.writeratplay.com/shop/the-creative-writers-journal-and-handbook

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Writers-Journal-Handbook/dp/1499728751/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404407060&sr=1-3&keywords=creative+writer%27s+journal

'The Creative Writer's Journal and Handbook' series was developed for students, women, and men and is customized to spark creative writing. The Creative Writer's Journal and Handbook begins where so many writers' guides should: with the basics of how to pursue one's dream job as a writer. The problem with most writers' guides is that they assume some prior degree of excellence or experience; but this handbook poses something different: the opportunity to begin with absolutely no prior skill level or experience. All that's needed is the desire and passion to be a writer: everything flows from there.

So if you 'scribble', if you like words, if your stories 'find' you, and if you aspire to be something more (say, a published blogger); then here's the next step in the process.

Now, those who have no experience writing may find themselves stymied by a blank page, or by 'scribblings' that need much development. The Creative Writer's Journal and Handbook takes the guesswork out of the next step: "You have a story idea in your mind. Write the first sentence. Write two more that are different for the same story idea. Now choose the one that is your 'hook'. Ideally, the start of a book should capture the reader from the first sentence. This will launch your writing and your story. Be certain that the main characters are well developed before you get too far into the story. There is a chapter here for 'character building and character analysis. Use this chapter to not only develop your fictional characters but to jot down your observations of real people that you see."

From how ideas begin to how they are nurtured and written down (there to be refined until they see the light of day - i.e. other readers), this journal offers support, insight, and ideas for jump-starting the creative process and linking it to action.

White, lined journal pages offer a workbook approach that augments white space with inspirational quotes from other, successful writers: so while you're staring at the usual journal blank pages, inspiration can ignite from others' experiences and insights.

This isn't just about prose, either: Sugarek includes sections on different formats, from haiku poetry to writing a stage play. Each section offers inspirational insights into format, structure, and writing challenges - then uses the journal/quote format to encourage readers to put something down on paper.

With its nuggets of information spiced with the encouragement of fresh lined, white space that, The Creative Writer's Journal and Handbook offers a success formula beginners can easily absorb; all packaged in a survey that assumes no prior familiarity with the writing process.

The Angel of Murder
Trisha Sugarek
CreateSpace Independent Publishing
9781494945879 $9.95

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Murder-World-Series-Volume/dp/1494945878/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404492281&sr=8-1&keywords=angel+of+murder%2C+sugarek and
http://www.writeratplay.com/shop/the-angel-of-murder-book-4-in-the-world-of-murder-series

The Angel of Murder is Book Four in the 'World of Murder' sequence, and though it can easily be picked up by those with no prior familiarity with the series, it is (ideally) a choice for former fans of cops O'Roarke and Garcia, who face yet another puzzling murderer.

This serial killer is after children and leaves their bodies around New York, dressed up for communion. There are no clues left behind to help track him, so there's nothing the two investigators can use to even begin building a profile or a solid search. Even more appealing is the fact that readers (even those solidly immersed in the murder mystery genre) remain just as puzzled as the police throughout the story.

If it's one thing you can say about the murder mystery genre, it's that it tends toward redundancy. It's always about the crime, there are savvy investigators (either professional or unprofessional), motives tend to become clear as the plot thickens... and most of this is about as predictable as can be. In terms of a dance, it's the type of ballet where the art lies more in conventional movement than surprising leaps of faith.

But the avid murder mystery fan keeps searching for those gems that offer something different, such as emotionally compelling and involving characters, events that don't form linear patterns or move in logical, predictable paths, and conclusions that are satisfyingly unexpected. For this reader, The Angel of Murder is a winner.

It's chillingly realistic, its setting and plot are both believable and ever-changing, and The Angel of Murder both relies on the personalities of protagonists developed in previous books and introduces brand new characters who hold different concerns and strengths.

It takes a tightrope artist of a writer to create chapters that successfully delve into a killer's thoughts without revealing his identity in the process, but Sugarek achieves this with a dance of introspection that reveals a killer's religious rituals and the emotional turmoil surrounding everyone involved, from families mourning their children to officers trying to investigate a crime with no clues.

P.I. Vito's discovery could break the case wide open - but what he finds will challenge police protocol and shake religious foundations alike.

There's a series of movements involved in The Angel of Murder : the focal point of ritual, discovery, revelation, religious justification encircled by a cutting edge of insanity. Sugarek creates this dance and eventually not only characters but readers find themselves gingerly treading on dangerous ground as the truth moves closer and closer.

It's also a dance on the part of this reviewer not to reveal the surprise outcome of this murder investigation. And so Angel of Murder is about confessions, heaven and hell, innocence defiled, and ultimately the involvement of church and state in a case about an evil allowed to blossom in the very heart of religious institutions.

As this performance draws to a close, the ballet evolves into a complex series of rituals and steps that eventually reveal the killer's identity - but at a great cost to all involved. It's the ultimate consequences of this kind of crime that will pull at reader heartstrings even as it injects elements of surprise into a presentation that draws to a close not just with a whisper of motion and emotion, but with a sudden leap of insight and faith.

A Child of Royalty
Diana Ketterman
Privately Published
http://www.achildofroyalty.com
No ISBN, $TBA

In the modern U.S., many believe we have social systems to address the special issues of dysfunctional families; but the reality is that many fall through the cracks, and A Child of Royalty testifies and documents one of these events. It covers the life of a woman whose mother suffered from undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia, whose father was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor that affected his mental capacities when she was 13, and of a family where 'head of household' became the author - at age 17.

You'd think social services would step in to help this family. You'd think a special cry for help from the oldest child would result in the embrace of a support system at the least and in viable foster homes at the worst. But none of this happened for Diana Ketterman, and A Child of Royalty is the story of what happens when calls for help fall on deaf ears.

Ketterman struggled to get psychological help for her mother, tried to keep her siblings safe and the family functioning on the most rudimentary level, and found even the comfort of church missing as the Pentecostal faith she was raised in cared more about punishment and miracles than saving one of their flock on a more realistic level.

And so a search for a more supportive religion entered the mix of Ketterman's journey, opening A Child of Royalty with her discovery (as an adult) of such a sanctuary.

How does one not only endure but excel from a childhood filled with fear, manipulation, control and uncertainty? If the results were a formula that worked for all, Ketterman would be rich. Here, it's enough that she survived to tell a story that will enrich (spiritually and psychologically) any who have suffered uncertain childhood years and struggles far beyond their abilities to cope.

All this is no mean feat in a home where God is seen as a threatening punisher backing parental insanity and not as a force of love: "My mother's religious delusions of grandeur were an outside force that I could not escape. If I had displeased my mother surely I had displeased God!"

Because Ketterman's evolving relationship with God is an intrinsic part of her autobiography, A Child of Royalty is especially recommended for spirituality readers. Half of her story takes place before the age of 17 (when her father finally died from his brain cancer); the other half reveals her increased abilities to help her siblings and forge her own, (more positive) path in life.

Her ability to not just escape home (most memoirs focus on this piece) but to leave the environment while remaining in place as the home's one consistent rock of responsibility and adult intervention is testimony to Ketterman's ability, even as a teen, to see the bigger picture: "Even though I no longer lived at home, I was still very much involved and connected to the situation. I continued to handle all of the finances from my mother's household. I paid her bills and deposited her and my siblings' social security checks every month."

As Ketterman discovers family secrets that include a history of mental illness, she continues to forge the kind of life that embraces love and a more giving God, and continues to act as a dependable force of stability in a chaotic world.

And perhaps this is the greatest asset of A Child of Royalty: its focus on how an individual overcomes much to recognize and celebrate life and God. Eventually she does find effective counseling - and such means the difference between night and day: "I was growing spiritually and once again I sought out counseling to help me grow emotionally....I was asked how I felt in different situations, but I just didn't know. It was the strangest thing in that I knew what the emotions were, I just could not pinpoint how I felt and which emotions were tied to my different circumstances....I was growing little by little and slowly healing, but most of the time it didn't seem like it."

Many memoirs chronicle difficult roots and adult challenges; but few document not only the consistent failure of social services, but how joy was uncovered and celebrated in the process of growth despite it all.

Readers who seek the 'how' rather than the 'why' will find A Child of Royalty a spiritually uplifting saga which stands out in the crowd of stories about difficult childhoods and family mental illness.

The Electric Affinities
Wade Stevenson
BlazeVOX Books
9781609641481 $18.00 http://www.blazevox.org

It's the summer of 1969 (the year that everything changed), and for six affluent friends coming of age in New York, it's the ride of their lives, romping through a rapidly-evolving underground society where anything is possible and everything is different.

Now, plenty of novels have tackled this pivotal year in American history, examining the emergence of an underground bohemian culture that spilled into society and changed its course forever.

But few books tackle the topic with the focus on New York (rather than San Francisco's 'Summer of Love'), and even fewer juxtapose the concurrent development of six very different personalities who share affluent roots - and that's just one of the strengths of The Electric Affinities.

The matrix in this circle of disparate creatures is one Ben Steinberg, a successful architect who is a strange attractor to a variety of artists who move through his home in Sag Harbor. Within such a circle the six protagonists find their lives woven together as 'radical' sentiments evolve and reflect their individual journeys.

If all of this sounds like a supreme juggling act; it is. It's no easy task to take six disparate lives, create a central point for their intersection, and develop six different personality and life perspectives from this focal point.

That The Electric Affinities accomplishes all this deftly, reflecting both the evolving social/political sentiments of a rapidly-changing time and the concurrent blossoming of spirit of six youths who struggle to define their own perception of 'freedom', is tribute to a powerful play on characters that examines liberty and individual transformation on many levels.

As Robert, Louise, Carolina, Ben, Vico and other characters are changed by their interactions, so readers are brought along for the wild ride and immersed in a nostalgic look at a bygone era with all its sexual, emotional and political passions.

It's no mean accomplishment to achieve a sense of balance, logical progression, and psychological depth in a novel filled with the chaotic feel of the 1960s - but Stevenson accomplishes this and more in a lively read that's at once a romp through social change and a moving exploration of six different personalities as they flow through and affect their brave new world and everything within and around it.

The Truth About Emily
Madi Brown
Concrete Jungle Publishing
9780692251713 $7.99 www.amazon.com

'Havoc on Heels' aptly describes protagonist Emily from the first paragraph, who operates in a busy whirlwind of action that neatly sets the stage for a racy story of monogrammed designer clothing, the constant rush and hectic pace of modern-day New York City living, and the feel that Emily's life and career have both stalled amidst a maelstrom of activity.

Emily is hell-bent to have it all - love and a high-powered career - when both come to screeching halt, forcing her to consider that the two goals may actually be polar opposites cancelling each other out.

And this is just the beginning of a rollicking good read fueled by a passionate protagonist who, at nearly 30 years of age, comes to realize that there are major problems with her life and goals. It's an age when the urge to examine one's life typically begins, and so Emily's journey is a logical progression from the course she laid out for herself in her 20s.

Yet another strength of The Truth About Emily (besides the spunky protagonist and her objectives) lies in Madi Brown's ability to capture the atmosphere of big-city New York: "With no mass murderers behind her, it could have only been the mental shove of her New York City pace, Emily reasoned. It was the one that had everyone always rushing to go somewhere, even if it was to nowhere in particular. She had plenty of time left, at least twenty-five minutes worth, she told herself..."

The scene is set in the first chapter and cemented by Emily's growing conviction that in order to achieve all of her goals, she'll have to change. And when she opens up to change, the possibilities promise big payoffs peppered with huge risks.

As chapters reflect Emily's struggles with romance (often sad stories of disparate characters who just don't 'click' with her personality), they open with striking sayings ("It's my belief that the body is to be treated as a temple, but if you consider yours to be a dumping ground, then perhaps The Garbage Jewelry Collection has a style of adornment especially suited for you...")

From the etiquette involved in one-night stands to how Emily comes to define the kind of mate that would compliment her life ("To make herself accountable, she began with making a concise list of what she wanted in a long-term mate (now that she knew that one-night-stands definitely weren't going to cut it."), her pragmatic approach to life is, in turn, poignant, funny, and sassy.

As she comes to find promotions don't always come with raises, romance doesn't always spark from sex, and achievement doesn't always bring parental approval, Emily comes to re-define her own perceptions of what constitutes success. And only when she succeeds in clearing the 'ish' from her life (...and you'll just have to read the book to find out what this is!) does Emily realize the masks she's been wearing that deflect real achievement and real relationships alike.

Will Emily have to give up her 'havoc on heels' lifestyle and attitude in the process of finding herself? The truths she discovers will immerse readers in a quasi-romance that is really more about a career woman's modern lifestyle and business challenges than the typical romance novel imparts.

The added depth of character promises complexity but wraps everything in the saucy cloak of Emily's evolving personality and newfound beliefs about life, love, and the real nature of happiness. And this is where The Truth About Emily outshines many competitors, making it a recommended read for those seeking more than a standard romance novel.

Seeking Human Kindness
Various Authors
Reading Harbor
1500391395 Paperback: $14.95 ebook: $2.99
www.readingharbor.com www.amazon.com

Seeking Human Kindness's strength lies in a foundation of true experiences that cement inspirational short stories designed as quick, absorbing reads. The aim is simple: to collect real stories from authors around the world; stories that reflect elements of heroism, acts of kindness, and methods of achieving hope and inspiration.

If it sounds like this is a collection simply recounting good deeds, you aren't far wrong; but the real strength in Seeking Human Kindness lies in its vetted tales and their ability to serve as examples of passion and good behavior choices in everyday human existence.

The dream here was to put together a powerful collection reflecting the good in life..."Crazy random acts people did as a challenge to themselves to make the world a better place. We saw the skepticism with which it was met. We saw the effects it had on their lives and others when their incredulity turned to belief."

Big ideals, true: but big dreams (and those who dare to dream them) can, like ripples in a pond, serve as motivation for others - and because the stories are global in nature and origin (stemming from writers of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences), they represent an unusually diverse gathering of positive, hopeful accounts of finding gems of good in a world of hurt.

Take the first short story by Serbian writer Darko, 'A Hero's Heart', which opens with the rollerblading of a happy, active girl and turns dark with a dog attack and the fierce defense of a tiny dog who sacrifices himself for the child.

If one wonders what positive lesson one could gain from the heroic act of one small animal, read to the end to understand why this experience offers a lesson on "...why this world still deserves a chance" and why a "hero's heart" offers a key to courage.

From an office act of anonymous kindness to a new girl which changes her perspective ("I could not believe that somewhere in this office of mean and angry people, there was someone looking up from their desk and going out of their way to make the new girl feel happy.") to the frustration of a woman who has "...lost her faith in everyone and everything" and who believes "...my dream of changing the world, of making it a better place seemed impossible" until someone points the way, this is a book that focuses on how compassion is cultivated and dreams realized.

As an anecdote to the negativity of modern living, Seeking Human Kindness provides luminous and glowing stories of passion, hope, and inspiration. It is medicine much needed, wrapped in the guise of short story entertainment and true-life drama, and it's a breath of fresh air for a world too often marked by angst, conflict, and hopelessness; where small kindnesses are neither recognized nor celebrated.

The Circuit: Executor Rising
Rhett C. Bruno
www.rhettbruno.com
Mundania Press
ISBN-13: 9781606594049
ASIN: B00KY04RIC $4.39

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Executor-Rhett-C-Bruno-ebook/dp/B00KY04RIC/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-circuit-rhett-bruno/1119716216?ean=9781606594049

The hallmarks of a good science fiction read are lively action leading to page-turning adventures hard to put down; but the trademark of a great read lies in its ability to tantalize with mystery, surprise with action, and create a believable, technologically different setting that supports the perspectives and lives of all its protagonists. The Circuit: Executor Rising is such a read, bonding many diverse themes under the sci-fi genre and injecting a splash of romance for good measure.

Science fiction stories set in a future world where Earth is either threatened or devastated are common. What is less ordinary is The Circuit: Executor Rising's scenario, where Earth has been all but destroyed but humanity survives on interlinked solar ark transports (known as the Kepler Circuit, dominated by a religious faction).

And this is just the beginning of a fast-paced read that takes off when a series of attacks prompts religious leaders to hire noted investigator Cassius and his sidekick robot to locate the perps and stop the attacks. The only problem: there's a fox in this henhouse; for Cassius is actually the instigator of said attacks.

When a beautiful spy infiltrates his ranks, Cassius has his hands full handling events that deftly blend science fiction, political insights and a rollicking investigative inquiry packed with battle.

Modern science fiction stories often incorporate elements of the thriller and investigative genres; but too often this approach only serves to create chaotic plots, insufficiently- developed protagonists, and action based on so many disparate threads that the science fiction framework itself becomes lost. Not so with The Circuit: Executor Rising: it retains a firm grasp on its science fiction foundation; in part by creating powerful protagonists and believable science grounded in vivid imagery: "The interior of the vessel was as unspectacular as the outside, with exposed circuitry skirting along the inner walls of low passages. He was on the starboard wing, making his way down auxiliary channels utilized mostly for a buffer between the controlled interior and the freezing abyss on the other side of the armored exterior."

The 'you are there' devices Rhett C. Bruno employs throughout lend a realistic feel to the sights, sounds, and events of The Circuit: Executor Rising and create a solid support structure for the believable, involving events that follow. And the key word here is 'involving': where other sci-fi genre reads fail to take the time to fully grow, The Circuit: Executor Rising packs in well-developed emotions and scenarios that compliment action.

It's these moments, liberally peppered throughout the story line, that keep The Circuit personal and involving on a human as well as a futuristic perspective: "She was always excited to watch the transports come and go to Ceres. Talon was the same way when he was younger, but it often troubled him with her. In his experience, he found that there wasn't much out there for the dreamer who wished to trace the worlds of the Circuit."

Too often emotion is lost in the wash of eye-popping action, humanity lost in a quagmire of political maneuvering and the heat of battle and confrontation, and romance charged with one-sided perspective. Not so here - and herein lies the final strength of Bruno's story.

Vivid battle scenes are here too: "By the time he turned into the Hall of Holographic Busts it was already lined with bodies killed at the hands of his androids. There were soldiers scattered like bloody rags over the floor and against the walls. Even the water troughs running down the edges of the hall were stained red."

Bruno is an architect as well as a lifelong writer - and it shows. The order, the attention to detail, and his passion for the genre is evident in every page.

Now, this is Book One in a series, so be forewarned: the ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger. The Circuit is bound by many elements: blood, politics, androids, love, and the mysterious force Gravitum, which holds everything together. The struggle over this force is just beginning - and The Circuit: Executor Rising promises a rollicking ride, indeed.

The North Country Confessional
Craig C. Charles
Privately Published
No ISBN, $TBA www.craigccharles.com

A good novel read is like a recipe for success: ideally it will create tension through conflict, present strong characters to snag and retain human interest elements, and perhaps add a dose of love into the mix. Readers seeking all these basics will find The North Country Confessional holds the formula of a winning read.

Pickford Marsh is a poor excuse for a human. He likes dark places (including his hotel's dark speakeasy) and he has a sinister plan, too. But all this is about to be transformed by a higher power that constantly moves through his life ... and it's not a benevolent force, either.

Fast forward from third person observational to first person experience, where protagonist Darby is being chauffeured into the North Country, a world he grew up in but left long ago: "My driver recounted the history of Franconia Notch as we traversed the mountain pass. A pre-dawn rain had scoured the shear walls, leaving them glistening and flowing with tears disguised as falling cataracts. They wept for me, matching the pain that gnawed inside of me. Unsure what the future held, I knew the answers would be waiting for me in the Great North Woods."

It's a world where nothing really changes - and a world about to be altered by the biggest change of all. The protagonist introduces readers to just a piece of the setting before he begins his confession; and between the casting of Pickford as a villain being persecuted by a darker force and this protagonist (who is being honest for perhaps the first time in his life), the trap is laid to neatly ensnare readers who expected a light, perhaps religious read from the book's title.
The North Country Confessional is anything but 'light': readers quickly discover that the protagonist's family was destroyed by not just one but a series of horrible accidents that left the community abuzz with speculation. Darby returns in good time to check on his inheritance and despite his distinguished Medal of Honor status, remains an outsider in his own home town.

Family roots, teachings, and tradition permeate his life: they've given Darby the courage to survive under impossible conditions ... but the most challenging of them all comes from an unexpected place: his return home: "The so-called "lucky ones" survive in spite of themselves. I was taught that luck is when preparedness encounters opportunity. This mantra for living was drilled into my psyche throughout my younger years in Bretton Woods. I never questioned it and I most certainly never challenged it until that brutally oppressive summer. The scorched and blackened days of August flowed seamlessly into the equally harsh ill winds of a muted autumn, testing my adult faith in this ancient family truism."

As heinous crimes peppered with riddles begin to plague the community, Darby's reappearance sparks an old rivalry between two families, releasing an evil to wreck vengeance upon everything around them. Darby's proposal of a truce between them not only fails to appease Pickford's thirst for retribution; it fuels it. And the town of Bretton Woods lies between the two when old passions ignite and set forth new determinations to win an old struggle: "I stood up and walked toward the door fuming, but determined to keep my head. I wouldn't let Pickford incite me. There would be another time and place to avenge what was lost. He would not win."

The plot revolves around set-ups and murder against the backdrop of the North Country's harsh landscape: "Catching Finn by surprise, I pushed him off the sled and careened up the trestle in pursuit of my family's nemesis. It was like navigating through a wet cotton ball. The whiteout conditions were extreme, made only worse by the ice. Feeling my sled slip beneath me, I realized that there would be no stopping now unless I wanted to slide backwards and plunge to my death."

Add a splash of romance (in the form of one Emily) to the cocktail of action and all the ingredients are present for a series of encounters holding many possible outcomes with no clear line of resolution: a winning feature in any novel and a standout in this one.

Defector in Our Midst
Tom Fitzgerald
Mascot Books
9781620865408 $24.95

http://mascotbooks.com/mascot-marketplace/buy-books/fiction/defector-midst

It would seem unlikely that newborn twins hidden from the Nazis when their village was destroyed could play a key role in future events; but such is the case in Defector in Our Midst, which points out the lasting legacy of violence.

The son of one of these survivors is a top CIA Agent charged with pursuing a cunning terrorist group, but the real heart of the story lies in the evolving scenario of a dangerous defector's dual alliances.

When New York City's power is permanently cut, Agent Myk finds himself immersed in a struggle to not only identify the defector, but piece together puzzles in his own background that could ultimately influence a dangerous game being played on a worldwide arena.

At this point savvy thriller readers may think they'll know the plot's ultimate progression; but soft: there are many surprises along the way. At stake (and upping the ante) is a new electromagnetic technology that could change or destroy the world.

Also at stake are challenges on many levels. For Agent Myk, it's personal; from the death of his wife on their honeymoon to close-held family secrets. He's spent a lifetime honing the special agent skills that place him and those he dares to love in constant danger: now a bigger picture immerses him in probing old connections between his mother's estranged twin sister, his father's questionable, accidental death, and the development of an EMT weapon that could change everything under the wrong hands.

Part of his strategy lies, like a good chess game, in anticipating moves not yet made: "The only way to stop an avalanche is to keep it from ever getting started. And any hope of thwarting Hakeem's plan depended on stopping it before it began."

From civilian to military tactics, Myk finds himself constantly on the losing end as he remains a step behind schemes and international conflicts. When the loose cannon of the EMT weapon raises questions about what's next, it seems that not only will Myk find himself unable to second-guess quickly enough, but that the loose ends in his own life will rise up to strangle everything he holds dear in life.

As Myk's quest for family history intersects with his search for an elusive defector, he comes to realize new truths about coincidences, consequences, and the lasting impact of history.

Defector in Our Midst's strength lies in its ability to create a dual progression of events both political and personal, and to intersect the two at many points on a timeline of intrigue. Action is swift and fast-paced, and while readers can anticipate a degree of violence (as in the interrogations), the events are always tempered with a level of decorum so that the violent interludes are an intrinsic facet of the story line.

When a legacy of death brings him full-circle into the family fold of carefully-preserved secrets and notions of revenge, Myk must make one of the most difficult choices of his life (a pleasing surprise to readers who might anticipate some events, but must eventually admit there's no real clue on where the story will wind up.)

Speaking of 'wind up', be advised that the door is left ajar for more - without being a cliffhanger. This in itself shows you that Tom Fitzgerald is a master at creating a story line with plausible events, believable and involving characters, action tempered by psychological insight, and intrigue backed with mystery.

A good read should leave the reader longing for more, not left at cliff's edge. And Defector in Our Midst is all about consequences played through to their bitter end, involving readers in thought-provoking questions throughout the journey.

A Fitting Place
Mary Gottschalk
Rising Sun Press
www.risingsunpress.com
9780979799778 $14.95 pbk / $5.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

If it's one thing that can be said about life, it's: don't get too comfortable. Everything can change in an instant.

Take Lindsay, who has a family and a successful career. She's a social worker with problems: her husband has deserted her (thus freeing her from a marriage plagued with problems), leaving her with a teenage daughter and a host of self-destructive patterns that have not served Lindsay well in the past, and which influence every choice she makes.

But compared to clients she sees daily, who struggle with debilitating mental conditions and ongoing abuse, she deems many of her own problems insignificant. And the techniques she's honed to survive life are down to a fine art, even if they do allow her to coast through life without changing her psyche: "Ever the introvert, she found idle conversation with strangers exhausting. By accident as much as design, she'd chosen a profession that allowed her to watch and listen while others talked."

What can shake a placid, contented life perspective that's newly resettled into comfortable old habits after a husband's infidelity?

The combination of an undiagnosed physical ailment, a mythology class, and the prospect of a new, different relationship awaken unshakeable forces of change in Lindsay's life. That those forces include a hitherto-unthinkable relationship with a woman is only part of A Fitting Place's wider-ranging exploration of how real transformation is achieved.

Readers follow Lindsay through this entire process, from her shock at her husband's revelation of his double life to their separation, its impact on their daughter, and Lindsay's growing affection for a classmate. In the course of this growth she examines not only her own psyche but her perceptions of social convention, love, and commitment: "As Lindsey crossed the front hall, she came face to face with the mirrored image of a red-eyed, middle-aged woman in a bathrobe. The woman Ted had said he would love forever, but no longer did. Why? Had she misjudged his capacity to love ... or was she not worthy of being loved forever? What did it mean to love someone forever?"

But, don't get too comfortable, yet. Plenty of novels chronicle the changes wrought by separation and divorce; and many also include explorations of alternative love options.

But A Fitting Place goes a step further in exploring not only new opportunities (...that approach has been used many, many other times) but the patterns of dependency which Lindsay honed to a fine art in her first marriage, that threaten any new relationship unless she can first change herself.

From her close friendship with a female confidante to her blossoming new love and sometimes-stormy relationship with a hurt, confused teen daughter, A Fitting Place isn't just about fitting in; it's about recognizing and enacting the kinds of personal transformations that truly lead to different outcomes.

This is the meat of A Fitting Place - and the heartbeat of a vivid read that explores the process of one woman's life as she moves away from familiar comfort zones and into unexplored territory.

But, don't get too comfortable. It's a wild ride with some unexpected turns along the way. If it's an emotionally-charged story of change that's desired, prepare to be delighted.

The Rummy Club
Anoop Ahuja Judge
Daggerhorn Publishing
9780991081011 $16.95

Ordering links: Website: http://therummyclub-anovel.com

Amazon link:http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00JDZ7PRY

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Anoop_Ahuja_Judge_The_Rummy_Club?id=DsFxAwAAQBAJ

Women's friendships are notorious: notorious for their emotional complexity, volatility, and an undertone of competition that tends to permeate the atmosphere when groups of women gather in social settings. They smolder, spark, and die back...as was the case for protagonist Divya Kapoor, whose childhood friendships became lost in adult concerns.

The Rummy Club is Joy Luck Club with an Indian cultural twist and centers upon Divya's cross-country move from a New York immigrant community to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she re-unites with three of her closest boarding school friends (now all conveniently living in California) and starts a weekly get-together revolving around the popular Indian game Rummy.

The women meet in each others' homes and share food, gossip and confidences; but what begins as a casual pursuit of connections based on past familiarity becomes something more because each woman is experiencing personal crisis in her life - and it spills over into the group's social setting.

Yes, there are many books about women's friendships and their underlying complexity. Some offer a singular focus on group dynamics over individual experience while others select a single protagonist to focus upon and develop that three-dimensional woman, often at the cost of the other characters.

The Rummy Club neatly sidesteps these pitfalls and develops four distinctly different personalities, lives, and reactions to life. Add the insights on Indian culture and you have a well-developed story line fueled by four dissimilar lives and their accompanying choices: one which embraces group dynamics and individual perspective as well.

This is not to say that The Rummy Club is seamless: the lives of three women are related in the third person while the primary protagonist (Divya) narrates her impressions in the first person. While this approach allows readers to absorb both observations and emotional impacts, it can, at times, serve to confuse (even though chapter headings clearly state which protagonist is the center focus at the time).

And placing the 'Indian Terms Glossary' at the beginning (rather than at novel's conclusion) is quite useful because it warns readers that there may be unusual terms peppered into the story line that are handily defined from the start.

Divya's feeling of being an 'outsider' in her world and life permeates The Rummy Club and focuses upon her longing to return to a world where she was part of an inner circle, connected and accepted. For Divya, that's the impetus for organizing The Rummy Club; only the desire for a simpler world becomes lost in the complexity of adult lives. Is this really the kind of connection she envisioned?

Women's friendships are notoriously complex and rich with action, reaction, and change. Providing the taste of something different, The Rummy Club is steeped in the curry of India, which adds an extra dimension to the story: "It was a welcoming, homey household. Her mom walked to the produce market every day, choosing from ripe, just-picked okra and cabbage. Raju brought freshly slaughtered goat or chicken from the local butcher. Every meal was freshly cooked. In the kitchen, her mom and her grandma gave directions to the maidservant for grinding fresh amchoor powder for the chickpea curry, smoldering cumin in the skillet for rice pilaf, cutting up knobs of ginger for lamb curry, or squeezing lemons from the garden for succulent fish stew."

The Rummy Club smolders, sparks, and reaches a crescendo with all women experiencing life changes and accompanying choices in their reactions. Readers who enjoy novels of cross-cultural encounters and women's friendships will find it an engrossing, revealing saga.

A Path Toward Home
Heather R. Lorenz
Rosway Press
9780990596608 $2.99
www.heatherlorenzbooks.com

http://www.amazon.com/Path-Toward-Home-Annals-Avonea-ebook/dp/B00GW9EN92

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Path-Toward-Annals-Avonea-Volume/dp/0990596613
https://www.createspace.com/4907228

Does the literary world really need another fantasy that reads like a Narnia dream and involves a lonely teen's discovery of another world where she meets a prince and discovers magic? The answer is 'yes' - if the elements are finely done, refreshingly contemporary, and come from the pen of a teenager with an unusual flare for capturing the unpredictable.

A Path Toward Home takes the classic story of a girl trapped in another world and expands it with many elements that lend toward a invigorating read. It's the first book in a series by teen writer Heather R. Lorenz and creates a mesmerizing character in the form of Constance, a typical bored teen who inadvertently opens the door to a strange world and discovers her mother visited this world before her.

The family link is one unusual device used successfully, here. It's fairly common to find teen protagonists stumbling into other universes or worlds: it's more unusual to discover that a parental figure has made the journey before them, creating somewhat of a legendary legacy in the process.

Constance's close relationship with her mother is introduced in the prologue: "She loved singing songs at Sunday school and playing at the park playground, pushed on a swing by her mother. The time that made her feel the warmest inside, though, was just before she went to sleep. She splashed in her bath, wiggled into her pajamas, said her prayers while kneeling by her bed, and listened to the latest episode of the never-ending story about the prince and the nurse." And carries the story line as she rediscovers a world her mother has long loved.

It's extraordinary to find a young adult fantasy that will appeal equally to ten-year-olds and adults, but A Path Toward Home achieves this goal with a winning, older teen protagonist, a setting that embraces adult concerns (such as financial pressures), and a fantasy yarn that spins adventure and problem-solving scenarios.

The introductory 'Cast of Characters' at the story's beginning at first seems unnecessary, but ultimately proves handy as a host of characters with odd names and relationships are quickly introduced. It's not too much to ask that the reader refer to this Cast a few times in the progress of reading.

As Constance develops new relationships in this strange world (some adversarial, as when she starts off on the wrong foot with Reagan), she also comes to view injustices and decides for herself how to react to them and what sides she should take in the evolving struggle between royalty: "Constance could not believe what she was hearing. How could a father do that to his own daughter! Something must be done about it!"

A big plus to A Path Toward Home is its focus on protagonist choices in events that unfold. At many junctions Constance makes a conscious choice to become involved, back off, or pursue her own agenda. It's this attention to choices, consequences and transition points that makes the story line pop, creating a realistic, vivid protagonist whose goals change with influences and events. And, ultimately, she'll question her real focus as she seemingly achieves her heart's desire, only to lose something more precious.

The literary world - especially its young adult mirror - does really need another Narnia-like fantasy; especially if it's as compelling as A Path Toward Home, which blends fantasy with supportive emotional twists and insights.

Cash Kills (An Angelina Bonaparte Mystery)
Nanci Rathbun
http://nancirathbun.com
Cozy Cat Press
9781939816443 $14.95 paperback / $2.99 ebook

Ordering Link: http://www.amazon.com/Cash-Kills-Angelina-Bonaparte-Mystery/dp/1939816440

Angelina Bonaparte is a P.I. - and this means that she specializes in tracking down information, not solving murders. The challenge comes in the usual (for a murder mystery) form when her latest client hires her to investigate the source of her poor immigrant parents' sudden wealth (for which they were murdered), setting off a string of murders.

Now Angelina is in over her head: as a P.I., she's developed finely honed talents for investigation - but, not murder.

The story actually begins in Yugoslavia, though Adriana's parents immigrated to the U.S. when she was only four. The integration process followed the usual form as the poor immigrant family made good but lived a modest lifestyle, opening a small store and struggling financially. That a burglary gone awry took her parents' lives is almost no surprise in such a scenario: what is shocking is the revelation that Adriana has inherited millions.

Thus what seems an open-and-shut case of a simple robbery gone bad suddenly becomes something much more - and something way out of Angelina's area of expertise.

It's concern for her young, naive, recently bereaved and newly-rich client that keeps Angelina involved and prevents her from referring Adriana to someone better versed in murder. By the time a second murder takes out Adriana's lawyer, Angelina is hooked into a deadly spiral of events where her client is the center of a maelstrom of disaster.

Up until now, the scenario is both plausible and predictable. Angie's ongoing investigation of Adriana's parents unearths clues to the source of their wealth and reasons for keeping secrets: clues that go back to the Bosnian War of the 1980s.

And despite their efforts to keep Adriana's new status under wraps, it's obvious somebody knows about the money: someone who will do anything to tap it.

Cash Kills provides both predictable outcomes and unpredictable moments and it sneaks in observations that hold a wry sense of humor to provide a bit of comic interlude to the serious story line: "I raised the window and deftly slipped the Ram into the spot closest to the stairway. Just because you're small, it doesn't mean you can't park with the big boys."

As her persistent probe results in an equally-relentless survey of hidden lives and purposes, Angelina finds herself ever drawn into her client's life beyond the usual professional boundaries, and the search for clues also becomes a search for places where Adriana can fit in, be safe, and learn about life: "The Mulcaheys would provide her with protection from the press, but, more important, she'd be with a loving family and learn from their interactions. It was a good solution."

Because it's also about old war crimes and Serbian politics, readers receive a healthy dose of political and cultural insight in the course of Angelina's investigation: something usually lacking in your typical P.I. mystery. The author's attention to realistically portraying facets of the Bosnian War add depth and spice to the story line. And when Angelina's own perception of romance is tested, she must make some hard decisions about not just Adriana's life, but her own.

Angelina may be in over her head in many ways; but the reader won't be. No prior knowledge of the Bosnian War times is assumed, interrelationships and their logic are deftly portrayed, and Cash Kills follows a time-tested (and successful) path in the mystery genre by creating a spunky protagonist who steps up to the plate to take charge. It's a solid mystery with enough political and psychological depth to keep readers involved to the end.

The Many Lives of June Crandall
Suzanne Whitfield Vince
http://suzannevince.com
CreateSpace
9781499705317 $12.99 Print / $3.99 Kindle

Secrets can define a world. They can take over life and become its all-consuming purpose. And in the end they can even challenge every carefully-built perception of what life's all about. Such is the case in The Many Lives of June Crandall, which explores a life influenced by nothing but secrets.

Grace Adams has a history of neglect: she's been moved from many orphanages and foster homes and has never known a real home or security. Only in her dreams does she find a constant beacon in the form of one June Crandall, an enigmatic protector who follows her dream world through war and cultural challenges.

But who is June Crandall: could she be the birth mother Grace has never known? It seems possible; but when Grace's petition to open her birth records proves successful, she's in for a shock: June Crandall still seems to be only a figment of her imagination, as elusive as ever. It's time to set the past aside and move on.

Now an adult, Grace is an investigative journalist and is at a bookstore signing her first book (which revolves around the woman she's dreamt of all her life) when a stranger appears to offer clues about June Crandall's identity. Suddenly Grace is once again thrown into a search for the truth about her background: this one with more clues than she's had in the past.

From the start Grace is called upon to display courage: "...she would not run from this moment. This was her moment. A defining moment. One that would make her who she'd always wanted to be. A survivor. All she had to do was walk through the door and embrace it. But something held her back. Being a survivor carried with it certain expectations. Being a survivor meant that she could no longer cling to the past for protection. The walls she'd built to protect herself from all that had happened had served her. But she didn't need them anymore. Writing the book had changed her. Had lessened the emotional scars. Had, in a way, healed her."

Her lifelong goal has been to be reunited with her birth family - indeed, to form a relationship within some kind of supportive family hierarchy. Her book shares that story and, in so sharing, opens the door to adding to and explaining the events that stem from her heart's desire.

What she hopes will prove a web of closeness becomes, instead, a web of intrigue as Grace discovers some shocking truths about her background and those who hold murky identities and unrevealed motivations behind their actions.

The tone of The Many Lives of June Crandall straddles the line between a mystery and a romance novel - and that's just one of the devices that makes for a pick beyond the usual mystery genre read. It centers as much upon Grace's choices in building the kind of life she never had (but idealizes) as upon the mystery of her background: "She was beginning to wonder whether she was destined to spend her life alone ...She envied Valerie who, despite the fact that they'd shared the same miserable existence as children, was able to open her heart to love. She didn't want to be alone for the rest of her life, but when she thought about being with someone, she just...she still couldn't imagine it."

As her research into family reveals more clues about her past, Grace must reconcile elements affecting her present and future abilities to find, accept and give love; in the process discovering shocking facts about those who conspired to keep her from the only love she's felt in her life.

Even then, there's not a happy ending. Grace finds her perceptions of love and life challenged at every turn, and it's only by coming to terms with the past that she can make the kinds of changes that allow her to confront present illusions to gain the kinds of connections she's dreamed of all her life.

Themes of abandonment, reconciliation, and family ties lie at the heart of a novel also steeped in mystery and discovery. The Many Lives of June Crandall is a mystery, a romance, and a multi-faceted exploration of many lives - not only of the enigmatic June, but of Grace's legacy. It's entertaining, passionate, and thoroughly engrossing, and provides readers with a fine blend of entertainment and insights. In short, it provides everything one could hope for from a superior leisure read!

Laura's Star and the Dream-Monster
Klaus Baumgart
Bastei Entertainment
ASIN: B00KLA7LCO $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KLA7LCO?&referrer=utm_content%3D47a9657e-c055-4031-bde8-75b51ab5295b%26utm_medium%3Dad-analytics%26utm_source%3Dflurry%26utm_campaign%3DUS%252520-%252520Appency%252520Press%252520Release%252520-%252520Amazon

Laura is sleeping when Tommy rushes into her room, excited about a dream. Dream Monsters are threatening his Protect-Me Dog in this nightmare - and when he awakens, it's gone missing.

Big sister Laura tries to help, but the toy is truly gone ... they'll have to search for it in the dream world, and Laura's lucky star will be the key to their success.

This interactive app features lovely bright color screens, small animations (the plane mobile moves and, if you look closely, so do some of the toys in Tommy's room), and a narrator's clear voice that tells the story as parents press the 'forward' or 'back' buttons for more, which allows time for all to absorb the colorful screen shots.

Laura's little star sprinkles stardust over Tommy's bed, it's changed to a boat, and the magic begins as they follow her star into the dream world; there to enter Tommy's City of Dreams with its storehouse of dreams.

They have to enter even deeper into the dream world, ignoring other dreams behind closed doors, to reach Tommy's particular dream and his lost toy dog.

A shadowy staircase leads to the nightmares: can Laura's star really be directing them down there? It gets scary - but not too scary for even very young picture book readers, who will appreciate an app where the characters move slightly and the scenes change as if by magic.

Yes, there are dream monsters - but they are whimsical rather than frightening. All have funny tongues and are different colors, and when Laura invites them to "get lost", each click of the 'next' button reduces them in size (quite a clever device) and as they shrink and vanish, Tommy discovers his missing dog.

Laura's star brings them past many doors, many gates, and many obstacles. It guides them on a soft journey and back again.

So the young reader will be guided through the world of dreams, in which a big sister helps her brother and wonders about her own dreams in the process.

As with the other Laura book app, this is a wonderful 'read-aloud' for parents who will enjoy the fact that the narration is done for them. This leaves adults better able to interact with a child as they both enjoy the narration and visuals, so both can appreciate the vivid, glowing color and lightly animated story!

Revenge is Sweet
Betta Ferrendelli
Privately Published
ASIN: B00GM727G0 $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Sweet-Samantha-Church-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00GM727G0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406644576&sr=1-1&keywords=revenge+is+sweet

Everyone has harbored feelings of wanting to seek revenge; but few have the process 'down' as well as the perps in Revenge is Sweet, who have faced down Samantha in the previous novel The Friday Edition and lost the first round of battle.

Few make consistently rational, good decisions when facing adversity, either. There's often a level of "should have/could have" in any approach (that's what makes us human), and the character of Samantha Church reflects this process; more so than most mysteries that would portray a protagonist as spunky, strong, and inhumanly irrepressible.

Samantha Church faces the fact that the drug dealers she confronted in The Friday Edition have moved past the motive of personal profit and into the realm of revenge. They've kidnapped her and publisher Wilson Cole Jr. and the end seems near before the book's beginning even gets off the ground.

Suddenly, a change of scene: Samantha awakens in a hospital bed: beaten, confused, and surprised to be alive. Why did they let her go?

The reason is sinister, challenging, and threatens Sam's entire world. Keep in mind the book's plot ('revenge') for a sense of what's in store for Samantha, who also struggles with her alcoholism and (at book's opening) is all of only two weeks sober as she confronts one of the most dangerous cat-and-mouse games of her life.

It's a pleasure having concurrent themes run through the story line, even if some of them are truly dark: themes that add dimension to the protagonist's persona and involve readers in more than a single obstacle or series of events.

A series of strong, deft scenes are quickly painted to introduce new readers to Samantha and her psyche: "He knew of her past, the problems she had as a reporter at the Denver Post. He knew why she lost her job at the large metropolitan daily and that it stemmed from her use of alcohol. He knew that there were other journalists in the Denver media who thought she was a pariah. None of that, however, mattered to Wilson Cole Jr. He knew there was something different about Sam, that she had an inner determination. He knew it was something lost just beneath that forlorn surface. Given enough time, it would resurface. He was sure of it."

It's one mark of a good writer of multiple books that such scenes pepper a book's introduction and recap events without resorting to a prologue or other lengthy device to repeat the events of prior novels. Newcomers to Samantha Church receive all the background needed to appreciate this mystery, while old fans can lightly read through descriptions that neatly fold past events into present, new scenarios.

Through a series of flashbooks, letters and other devices, Samantha's character and relationships are deftly explored: "Your father was so supportive in the beginning. That changed after we had you. He didn't like that I drank around you. In fact, he hated it and always told me so. I couldn't seem to help myself. I can't touch the stuff again if I ever hope to get you back, but still the urge for just one drink is always there. And I can never seem to get that feeling to leave. I wear it as if it were my own skin. Not as if it is my skin, it simply is my skin."

As events unfold to threaten her beloved daughter, Samantha not only becomes involved in a desperate search to save her, but comes to examine more closely her own habits, failings and attitudes in life which may have brought her to a point of no return.

Revenge is Sweet isn't just about revenge (although this is the unifying factor throughout the story): it's about coming to terms with actions, consequences, reactions and fear. As events take a gruesome turn, Samantha must marshal all her resources to win what is becoming a deadly game where all her loved ones are pawns, and at risk.

Sam's on a road to recovery on many levels, but she's also on a journey of self-discovery as well: one that will change all their lives.

Revenge is Sweet is a satisfying, involving mystery that gets its strength from a strong yet realistic protagonist who faces many personal hurdles in her life. Dealing with perps who have an exacting revenge in mind is only one facet of a story line that successfully integrates intrigue with the personal struggles of a protagonist who battles her own self-destructive inclinations on a road which can lead to either success or ruin.

Under Betta Ferrendelli's hand, a rosy ending is not at all predictable (indeed, events embrace death, torture, kidnapping and more - so don't expect a light read!) and seemingly impossible at many points - and that's the strength of a novel that takes the concept of 'revenge' to new levels of tension and intrigue.

Rum Run
R.C. Durkee
Moonshine Cove Publishing
www.moonshinecovepublishing.com
9781937327552 $TBA

In 1928, Prohibition was at its height and rumrunners regularly moved through Canada and into the U.S. along rivers and waterways - a lucrative (if not dangerous) affair. Rum Run, set in this era, begins when Rusty loses his satisfying job at the tug yard and is offered a position hauling 'grape juice' for a family's island vineyard: the start of a new career that blossoms into a full-fledged, lucrative rum running operation.

At this point Rum Run could have moved in any direction: as a novel of intrigue, a story of danger and passion or as a mystery; but, thankfully, it takes a different course that embraces psychological depth as well as higher levels of politics in deception, and that's what sets Rum Run apart from many other stories of Prohibition activities.

As chapters build a believable plot based on historical fact, readers are introduced to the underground world of illegal rum running operations: a world that challenges principles and lives and somehow embraces the fundamental values of American freedom and innovation.

Having stumbled inadvertently into the darker side of rum running, Rusty must decide whether the money is worth its price tag and whether he can even turn down a series of increasingly dangerous involvements.

Expect gunfire, chases, and confrontations, and specifics on rum running to include the daily trials and challenges of eluding capture: "They headed out into the lake, invisible against the inky waters. The fishing ground where they were headed was mostly deserted except for two small boats outfitted with lanterns for night fishing. In the distance, they could see running lights from various vessels. Some would be pleasure boats still out and about, not wanting Friday night to end, some would be at anchor while the occupants slept off a drunk, while others would be returning from the dance hall on Put-in-Bay or Cedar Point. Most assuredly, he knew, harbor patrol and picket boats would be among the mix, tearing their hair out trying to weed out the good boats from the bad."

Prohibition was not only a failure: the illegal actions it sparked lured good citizens to make bad decisions and created a subculture of alcohol more deadly than legalizing the substance. Crime increased and many an innocent man (like Rusty) found himself on the wrong side of the law for the first time in his life.

Rum Run is all about this subculture of boating 'runners', and brings history and events to life through Rusty's eyes and experiences. From outrunning the Coast Guard dragnet to family relationships affected by Rusty's activities, it offers a set of insights not just on the process of Prohibition-era 'running', but the experiences and motivations behind those who make the trips.

It's all these elements, wound into a satisfying and realistic story line backed by historical fact, that make Rum Run a winning account.

A Woman To Blame
Vincent Panettiere
Author House
www.authorhouse.com
9781496924354 $23.95 softcover / $3.99 ebook

A good investigative mystery read is like a jigsaw puzzle: at first there's a boxful of disparate pieces that appear to bear no relationship to one other; but as the game progresses, each piece becomes entwined with another to create a bigger picture.

A Woman to Blame is such a mystery; so if you don't like jigsaw puzzles or stories replete with interconnected characters and find a lot of detail puzzling, this complex read won't be the item of choice. Readers who not only appreciate, but search out such challenging puzzlers (which are too few and far between in the genre) will find A Woman to Blame's story line thrilling and well detailed.

Mike is a police detective forced to retire on disability. His job of handling crime scenes and investigations seems to be at an end - until a promising winning horse collapses and his trainer is discovered dead a few hours later.

To the police, it's a cut-and-dry case: the trainer murdered the horse, then committed suicide. To Mike, it's not that simple.

A swarm of protagonists are introduced in rapid succession; all with their own lives, motives for misdeeds, and connections that ultimate lead back to the horse racing world and its underworld of high-stakes bets.

Readers may receive some insights on these disparate forces, but Mike is kept in the dark from the beginning and payoffs, predators and dark associations proliferate.

Reading A Woman To Blame involves putting together the equivalent of a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle: at first all the sub characters and threads look to be of the same color and their links appear mercurial and dubious at best. Even Mike admits that pieces of this particular puzzle don't mesh, at first: "All the pieces have to fit. That's why it's a puzzle. When you join all the pieces, you see the big picture."

But Mike's personality and focus solidifies the set of circumstances and even though complexity is one of its features, A Woman To Blame doesn't descend into the madness of illogic but evolves to a steady set of interlinked circumstances that draws readers into a complex series of motives and challenges.

Throughout it all Mike Hegan is determined to face down professional and personal challenges and to ferret out all the possibilities in a murder with too many scenarios.

By involving himself in this particular case and solving it, Hegan might just succeed in ridding himself of the ghosts of his previous errors, which have cost too many lives.

A Woman To Blame is a study in characters, from the joy of the ill-fated female trainer in landing a job that allows her to work with her beloved horses to Hegan's own motivations in pursuing what the police have deemed a one-dimensional, dead-end case.

The rainbow at the end of this satisfyingly multifaceted read is the bigger picture. And that's what a good mystery is all about, and what separates a superior saga from the lighter read.

Arctic Storm
Joanne Sundell
Five Star Publishing
www.joannesundell.com
9781432829162 $25.95 www.amazon.com

At what point do stories featuring thirteen-year-old protagonists become accessible and of interest to adult readers as well as young adults? It's when action and events woven into the story line spark a level of complexity that challenges and involves all ages, when human and spiritual connections embrace nightmares and positive possibilities alike, and when a book such as Arctic Storm focuses as much on the emotional development of each protagonist as it does on the wider story line of sled dogs in the line of fire.

A pending multi-volume production warning is there on the cover (Arctic Storm is Book One of the 'Watch Eyes Trilogy') - but what isn't as immediately evident is an indication that young adult and adult readers alike are in for a treat with Arctic Storm: one they won't want to see concluded in a single book.

The story centers around Anya, a young medium who is able to connect to the spirit world and who will do anything to protect her beloved dogs from any threat; even from a deadly ice storm.

Since dogs feature so prevalently in Arctic Storm, it's important to note that readers with a prior affection for canines will find the sled dog insights compelling; not to mention that the saga is set in 1908, an unusual feature for a crossover novel of fantasy.

Anya's abilities pair with her take-charge determination to lead her on a desperate journey to save everything she loves, and highlights the idea of 'spirit' on many levels; from supernatural connections to self-inspired decisions.

All the elements of a good read are here, from the possible romance involved in a journey with sixteen-year-old Rune to interpretations of the meaning of 'spirit' in all its incarnations: "Her husky counterpart could shift in appearance and color in the spirit world, even disappear and reappear. It could not on Native earth. It didn't exist there but...she did. Could she have such powers on native Earth, able to disguise her human shape and fool dark spirits? Her heart raced at the possibility, refusing to slow, refusing to disbelieve ever again that she was a medium, a shaman honored by the ancestors and guided by the gods."

Woven into the realistic story line are accounts of sled dog practices, the conflicts between a boy who loves the sea and a girl who is bound to the land, and the underlying belief of each that the other won't truly understand their world: "She would keep that secret from Rune. She would not tell Rune about her Spirit, either. Rune would never accept such mysticism and magic, but think her a "messed up girl." She shouldn't care what Rune thought, but she did."

But nothing is set in stone in this title: as night becomes day in more ways than one, the connections between very different worlds begin to merge - and suddenly the impossible comes to light.

Set against the backdrop of Siberia and a world beset upon by darkness and light, it's all about choices and direction as well as spiritual connections, and what seems an ending is really just the beginning.

At what point do stories featuring thirteen-year-old protagonists become accessible and of interest to adult readers as well? It's when the human element is so well-developed that age groups are forgotten and the compelling story reaches out to embrace all ages in a storm of conflict, purpose and hope.

Advance Chess: The Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model, Model III: Renaissance to the Dawn of a New Age - Edition 2, Volume I
Siafa B. Neal
Heinz Duthel, Publisher
1230000230922 $13.59
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-de/Search/Query?q=1230000230922

Advance Chess: The Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model, Model III: Renaissance to the Dawn of a New Age - Edition 2, Volume I is not for your average chess player, your everyday gamer, or for casual pursuit: if the title itself doesn't provide fair warning, the text will.

For this isn't about conventional chess strategies or even advanced traditional chess; but about three-dimensional chess - and it requires a game board model (sold separately, due to logistics challenges) and advanced playing skills to prove inviting.

Mind you, this game is new to the market: as such, it holds great potential and invites conventional chess gamers to ramp up their skills with something different.

Model III (the The Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model being offered here) takes the 2-D form of conventional chess and integrates these concepts into a set of dynamic games that offer players the opportunity to play on different levels: singles, doubles, triple or quadruple sets. The games may also be played using two separate chess sets, or three or for sets, where the pieces may interact simultaneously or sporadically.

Even the art of checkmate has been elevated to a finer art, as the winner must win three out of four games being played simultaneously, with arrangements taking the form of linear versus non-linear setups.

Two chess boards or platforms can work together as a single unit: all this is explained both in directions and with visuals that include 'coordinates' for bases, top and bottom levels of models. If this sounds confusing, that's because the visuals are key to understanding platform positions and players: diagrams display a conventional chess board with a linear traditional set-up of chess players and the coordinates of a classical chess board, and then photos support non-linear setups, from non-linear uniform setups to non-linear non-uniform and beyond.

Color layouts help explain the sequencing and positioning of players in various scenarios with front center, top views and more examining layouts from a range of angles.

The ideal reader of this technical gamer guide won't be a newcomer to chess, but will be well versed in both traditional strategy and chess setups, and will have some computer background as well. This audience will find the positional configurations and discussions technical, grounded in traditional chess theory, and a step above the usual focus on strategy alone. In 3D chess the positions are different, the equations are more complex, and the entire game both challenges and builds upon traditional methods of playing chess.

The use of robotic hardware and software in chess is just beginning - and Siafa B. Neal's Advance Chess: The Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model, Model III: Renaissance to the Dawn of a New Age is the opening move in a whole new era of computer-based chess modeling games with new challenges and rules for 3D chess players around the world.

Advance Chess - The Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model, Model III - Applicable Prognostics of Spectral Inferential Analysis for Distributive Cognitive Logistics Edition 3 Volume 1: A Synergistic Modulation Synopsis of Vector Logistics
Siafa Neal
Privately Published
No ISBN, $13.06
http://www.xinxii.com/en/advance-chess-the-longitudinal-star-gate-14-p-353320.html

Fans of Advance 3D Chess already know that the forms, strategies and methods of this advanced chess game more than challenges traditional chess; especially on an international level where players are global - so there's likely already an audience for Advance Chess - The Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model, Model III - Applicable Prognostics of Spectral Inferential Analysis for Distributive Cognitive Logistics Edition 3 Volume 1, a technical discussion of spectral inferential analysis of the game.

Diagrams include equations and coordinate layouts for conventional boards and movements, create a shared base of player knowledge about these methods, then illustrate the projection of two playing surface platforms involved in the Latitudinal Star Gate 14 Model.

Neal provides a step-by-step, piece-by-piece assessment of moves, strategy, and chess piece formations that takes conventional chess board knowledge and builds upon it. Ideal readers should not be newcomers to the game, but should be familiar with pieces, boards, layouts and some degree of strategy before they move into the advance chess 3D gaming model.

The visual, color-coded board displays are one key to success in Neal's coverage; another key is the equations which, for intermediate players, form a concrete base for identifying board layout options and potential movements.

From initial position set-up configurations to single and double sets (and beyond), non-uniform modes and options, and the differences between Latitudinal (vertical) models and Longitudinal (horizontal) models, Advance Chess - The Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model, Model III covers moves involving captures, responses, and different kinds of advance options.

The color coding throughout is key to this formula's success and clarifies the Coordinates and their views and options.

It's highly recommended that the first two editions be pursued first, to gain a better idea for the games for this particular model. The drawings and photos illustrating this focus in Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model III will be clearer with such a foundation, while the possible position scenarios of the Latitudinal Star Gate 14 Model II and the Longitudinal Star Gate 14 Model III illustrate these model's many possibilities.

Another plus: chess players need not be proficient in English. The visual displays and equations do much of the work in explaining and exploring the advanced chess playing theory involved in these particular models.

Josh's Wall
Cliff Ashpaugh
Spout Hill Press
9780615987729 $9.99 Print/$3.99 Kindle
www.cliffashpaugh.com www.amazon.com

It's the early 1960s in Southern California and the city (as well as the country) is reeling from the assassinations of Kennedy and King. You want passion? It's here.

At the same time six-year-old Joshua Crass is reeling in another way when he suffers a reaction to penicillin and awakens from a coma completely devoid of memories of his life.

It's a dual journey by nation and individual to get back their identities, confront death, and search for newfound meaning in a disjointed world - and that's just one of the strengths of Josh's Wall that sets it apart from your typical coming-of-age novel.

From learning karate to thwart a bully and successfully winning his first fight to his loss of faith in school because of its unfair politics, Josh is on a journey of transformation that reflects the nation's lessons on injustice, inequity and personal strengths and weaknesses.
In the process of discovering the power of choice and its counterpart in consequences, Josh arrives at new discoveries about his changed world, his changed life, and how revised perceptions lead him in different directions.

There are the usual trappings of nearly every coming of age story: changing family relationships, first love, altered ideas about parents and authority figures...but against this backdrop of change are also amended ideas of right and wrong, justice and how circumstances bend truth, and challenges to belief systems.

When Josh wants to explore the Latter Day Saints church because some of his new friends go there, his father injects a degree of suspicion into the matter when he identifies the fact that most of Josh's much more successful schoolmates (who always get good grades) attend the same church. Does the Church influence the school's processes?

When Josh looks for something he can be passionate about - something beyond the karate which saves him on some levels - he discovers science and hopes it will not be as corruptible and questionable as his world has become.

And when everything comes full circle back to the shots of penicillin that changed his life forever, it's with a bittersweet knowledge that what has changed can never be reset to what was.

Josh's Wall weaves delicate themes of transformation within the life of a typical adolescent. As many of Josh's decisions about facing life boil down to a simple worry: "...I wondered which was more important to me, not hurting or not getting hurt." he faces his fears and in the process makes new discoveries about the adult he will become.

From his growing realization about how he can hurt those around him to his conscious decisions about accepting responsibility for that pain and choosing other ways to change, Josh's journey ultimately affects not on his life, but all around him.

Josh's Wall is suitable and recommended for all ages well beyond its young adult audience and it's a reflection of 1960s California culture and the passionate world of its times; all wrapped up in one young individual's process of discovery. Seeking an avid story? It's here.

Elusive Catch
Renee L. Scott
Privately Published
ASIN: B00I1LH94A $4.95

http://www.amazon.com/ELUSIVE-CATCH-RENEE-L-SCOTT-ebook/dp/B00I1LH94A/ref=la_B00I2A3KH0_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406818234&sr=1-1

Novels that attempt to blend romance with mystery are usually high-octane productions that barely give readers enough time to absorb characters and circumstances before action begins. Not so with Elusive Catch: this creates a slow-winding simmer of emotions and spices its story line with careful intrigue and believable, well-developed characters.

It's been a little over a year since a boating accident on the lake sent Kathleen into a long rehabilitation process, and she's back to the scene of the accident only because her best friend is getting married. Luckily she has gaps in her memory about the accident: lucky, because what she remembers could lead to a prison sentence for those involved.

But don't expect just a murder mystery here: quotes open the book with discussions of love and, ultimately, that's a big part of what Elusive Catch is all about: mercurial emotions, romance, and making dreams happen. It's also about family interactions, a melancholy summer spent recapturing lost (sometimes dangerous) memories, and a slow burn of passion that sparks both love and danger.

Elusive Catch captures elusive emotions, shadows that override joy, and one woman's struggle to recall a deadly secret. Just as its plot flows and shifts, so readers may come to believe its subject is elusive as well, because it keeps changing as family life flows into romance and back and simple pleasures are accompanied by a darker tinge of danger.

Kathleen 'catches' all these undercurrents, many of which are linked to her own incomplete memories. If it's a healing process that this summer portends, it's also evident that new revelations will stem from any curative outcome.

With a wedding at its focal point, Elusive Catch becomes even more complex and saturated with intrigue as Kathleen's slowly-returning memories provoke more questions than answers and some seemingly-impossible observations.

Don't expect the unrelenting drama of many a romance and mystery read: Elusive Catch offers its own special, particular brand of action that slowly builds a wide cast of characters and possibilities from a summer packed with family connections and concerns.

What's better: the slow simmer of a plot that takes its time to explore interpersonal relationships, or the rat-a-tat-tat of slapstick action that's unrelenting in force and appearance? Readers seeking the more gourmet approach of a tasteful novel that takes its time to properly evolve protagonists and motivation will find Elusive Catch a suitable leisure read, cemented by a long-lost love and spiced by themes of kidnapping, death and rebirth.

The Calamities
Bruce Dundore
Authorhouse
9781496915252 $16.95 (sc) / $5.99 Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Calamities-Bruce-Dundore-ebook/dp/B00LGY1FZI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1406141827&sr=8-7&keywords=THE+CALAMITIES

http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/AdvancedSearch/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=THE%20CALAMITIES

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-calamities-bruce-dundore/1119891560?ean=9781496915252

It's the end of the 21st century, Earth has been decimated by a blend of natural and man-made disasters, and in the chaos, communications systems and human knowledge have all but been destroyed.

Into this world awakens John Smith, "semi-fresh" from a coma with few memories of his past. But, don't expect a flaccid opener: his revised life begins with the proverbial bang of an erection attained via miracle machine ("Thanks to my GOBOYGO Ultra-Lite Penis Pump, I'm in full salute. Marsha flips the HARD switch from the ON to the OFF position."); and this unusual beginning alerts readers to not expect the usual sci-fi progression of your typical dystopian novel.

The Calamities centers upon a couple's losses and gains, on John's conviction that his arm will grow back after a deadly attack by a pack of steroid-enhanced coyotes, and on the boundaries of sanity and insanity in a much-changed world.

As John navigates this mad world, the question of who is crazier - he, or his situation - emerges. In this dark world he relies on his girlfriend Marsha to fill gaps in his memory. It's pure circumstance that any humans remain alive in the wake of ongoing calamities that can strike from human and natural sources without notice: "Once a week, Marsha fills in my historical cavity as it relates to The Calamities. A top ten hits history lesson. It hurts her to tell those stories. She's sweet to try, but she lost her whole family in the firebombing of Sacramento, and lost her best friend when she was struck by an errant piece of satellite that had descended to Earth while she was taking a bath. A fucking fluke. Imagine, soaking in the tub, getting all wrinkly and sleepy, and the next thing you know, you hear a deafening crash and then that's it. Over. Cut to black. Life is a bitch and a half and you better like what you have now. You better appreciate it. Better not sit around and mope 'cause it's not perfect. 'Cause it's never perfect. Nothing is anymore, if it ever was."

In such a setting, dreams and nightmares are often synonymous and flourish side by side. In such a world, scientists are studying the effects of the stress of 'The Calamities', fascinated by phenomenon that gives birth to meaningless scenarios and cultural oddities.

This is why John and Marsha forge lives born of desperation and angst while readers absorb the rudimentary devices of satire and emotional adaptation as the couple struggles with the boundaries and limits of delusional thinking and altered realities: "She continues stand at a distance, not breaking the plane of the door, not sure she wants to be in the room with me, which I understand, because mortals tend to stay at least three feet away from potential gods."

Readers should expect gritty, dark scenarios spiced by an altered reality that eventually leads full circle back to the real reason why John has no memories.

Without giving away its surprising conclusion, suffice it to say that few readers will guess where the plot of The Calamities will wind up - which makes it a compelling, if dark, commentary on a possible future not just of the human race, but of fairly unremarkable individuals just trying to survive the impossible.

It's difficult to imagine a story that is both bleak and intriguing; one that winds elements of cultural criticism and irony into a bigger picture of the human race's ultimate evolution. The Calamities is all about surprises and provides light even in the face of an overwhelming dark set of circumstances. Impossible? Possibly. Insane? Very likely. Satisfyingly different from any other futuristic novel? Most definitely!

Children's Paid Reviews for September follows in a separate email

Puzzling Love: Part I: Distant Meeting
Christopher Tenney
CreateSpace
9781499514063 $7.95
https://www.createspace.com/4800883

James Suoh is going to college, he's autistic, and he's newly in love with an older girl he met on Facebook. Normally introducing a new girlfriend to his parents would be cause enough for worry; but given that he's long been under the watchful eye and care of his parents, his newfound independence at college (even at age 19) is not the typical freedom of your usual nearly-twenty-year-old.

James hasn't fought this because he's "... afraid of the real world because he was scared that nobody will help him because he's Autistic." And he has his own dreams of how he wants to make a living, which don't embrace his mother's notion that any kind of job will teach him discipline in life.

All this is about to come to a head with his first real love relationship, and thus the real impact of autism on adult pursuits is introduced to readers via a realistic protagonist and his ongoing concerns about his life and how to live it.

While those who are autistic (or familiar with the disorder) will readily recognize James' challenges, it's the newcomer to autism who will receive eye-opening insights on what this means for adulthood.

When his supportive grandmother dies, James struggles to cope with failing grades and his grandmother's passing and finds himself lost.

Narration is provided in a very simple style that clearly outlines James' dilemmas and thought processes as he interacts with family and his new love Serena: a style that reflects autistic thought processes and embraces common fears and reactions to everyday life: "They were now watching the National Geographic Channel. James, however, felt scared because the network was broadcasting a show about the 2012 Mayan calendar apocalypse. "Mom, Dad, can we please not watch this channel?" he asked while shuddering. "I don't like this show."

From panic attacks sparked by television's portrait of possible disasters to how close family members can either help or hinder an autistic young adult, chapters weave realistic experiences into the story of James' ongoing confusion over everyday interactions which even involve his beloved parents and their attitudes: "James had never before heard his mom speak vaguely or angrily about him having a girlfriend. In fact, James was used to being teased by his mom and sister about girls. He was confused at his mom's sudden switch."

Add a protective, domineering mother determined to control her autistic young adult's life and you have an unusual romance story that doesn't follow the usual channels of progression, yet provides excellent insights into the feelings, perceptions and interactions of a functional autistic.

With its simple dialogue, thought processes and short presentation, Puzzling Love: Part I: Distant Meeting presents a rare opportunity to delve inside the mind of an autistic teen hovering on the brink of adulthood.

Don't expect the standard romance story here, despite its title. DO anticipate a unique survey of the fears and challenges facing those diagnosed with autism: a personal story of brain disorder that embraces daily experiences and confusion with equal attention to detail.

A don't expect a logical progression to a firm conclusion, either. After all, the title itself mentions that Puzzling Love is only the first piece of an on-going journey that will bring James out into a wider world and invites readers along for a ride towards greater understanding of the autistic's special challenges in life, love, and the pursuit of satisfying relationships.

The Second Coming: A Love Story
Scott Pinsker
Scott Pinsker Publishing/CreateSpace
ASIN: B00KT6B3G0 $3.16
Paperback: 9781500167219 $13.57

E-Book Purchasing: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B00KT6B3G0/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

Paperback Purchasing: http://www.amazon.com/The-Second-Coming-Love-Story/dp/1500167215/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

www.secondcomingishere.com

In a world where America is already divided by Red America and Blue America, two self-declared saviors arrive simultaneously on Earth: one attracting right-wing Christians; the other entrancing left-wing liberals. The rush towards Armageddon is thus fueled by a combination of political association and religious sentiment, creating an entirely different scenario for the Second Coming than Biblical prophecy.

The Second Coming: A Love Story isn't recommended for devout believers alone: instead, it's a tongue-in-cheek parody presenting two very different trains of thought and inviting readers to truly understand just what differentiates devils from angels. Just as the sun and moon mirror each other in such a world, so Armageddon's threat brings with it sage reflections on how humans think, believe, and perceive differences between heaven and earth. The fact that these perceived differences in fact hold some startling similarities is only one component of The Second Coming.

One doesn't expect a tour de farce from the topic of Armageddon or the reappearance of Christ at the End of Days; but such is the case in The Second Coming, which considers of who earns a place in Heaven, what defines Satan, and how to identify signs of good and evil in the modern world.

Against this backdrop are contemporary renditions not just of Christ and Satan, but such characters as Mary Magdalene (a.k.a. unscrupulous lawyer Margaret Magdala, Esquire, who has had a change of heart about her techniques and lifestyle), follower 'Ismail', (the first follower of Israel, who harbors an ongoing affection for hiphop), and 'apostle' Michael Waters (who lives with his boyfriend and the dubious 'blessing' of a strange prophecy he can't understand).

From false miracles that "spread like locusts throughout the land, enticing and devouring those who embrace Bible-based deviancy" to signs of hope and love in a world gone mad, The Second Coming tackles questions of miracles and miracle-makers, false gods and real demons, and the transformations of ordinary men and women who rise above their influences and pasts to answer the beckoning calls of either heaven or hell.

Brisk dialogue spiced with contemporary lingo keep the story fast-paced and in sync with modern urban experience: "Is it true that the leader of your church claims to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? 'Cause that's the rumor floating round town. And if so, have you seen him perform any miracles? You know - like healing the sick, curing PMS, or levitating the dead?" Now, it wasn't that Acostes disliked Peter or even Christianity itself; he simply enjoyed fucking with people. In his own mind, Acostes was standing up for the ambiguous principles of skepticism and trust."

The story is helter-skelter much the way life is, moving through a disparate variety of characters; each of whom support, contest, or compete with ideas of Christianity and what it means to be a spiritual leader. As a result, believers and non-believers alike will be attracted to a fast-paced, often zany plot that considers spiritual interpretations, consequences of events, and the bigger picture of not just religion but society's perceptions of strength and weakness.

The Second Coming's wry observational style and broad cast of characters creates a mystery that examines relationships with God and often-startling perspectives describing traditional belief systems: "Adam was God's mud-based temper tantrum...and nothing more."

In such a world, intention, predetermination, freedom and responsibility are turned upside down and treated to an inspection process that combines spiritual insight with witty, gritty, wry humor and observations on modern society's ironies.

At the end of the day will prayers be answered, or is history doomed to repeat itself? Keep in mind that this is presented as a love story: if so, where (and when) does the path turn from love towards something different?

Keep in mind that this is just the first book in a trilogy: nothing neatly resolves at book's end ... unless it's the resolution to obtain and read the next piece of an emerging puzzle centered upon a Divine Plan and all its infinite possibilities.

Vanished from Dust
Shea Norwood
Dust Devil Press
9781492993407 $12.99 paperback / $6.99 ebook
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FBZXMHW

Dust, Texas isn't the sort of small town that tolerates differences, even if it's from one of its own - and it's undeniable that Eric Stark is different. That's why he has no close friends, and why even 7th graders tease and accuse him of being crazy because the phantoms he seems to sense.

When new kid Kyle moves to town, it's an opportunity for Eric to gain not only a friend, but support for his special abilities and in the possible disaster they portend.

Paranormal novels - even those that include other facets - are often too predictable. As supernatural threats lead to certain resolution, there are few surprises along the way: this is where the genre as a whole falters, as story after story tries to create something original out of events that often prove inevitable.

Not so with Vanished from Dust, where everything feels fresh and different; from the protagonist's teenage viewpoint and different take on the causes of isolation and alienation to the problem and toll of bullying.

It also takes time and circumstance to establish Eric and Kyle as close friends who share even impossible-sounding secrets, but Shea Norwood takes the time to build this scenario in a series of delicate chapters that follow Eric in his transformation from rejected, bullied loner to possible 'superhero' status with a supportive new best friend.

This isn't a short process (it takes six months for Eric and Kyle to become trusted friends) and during the course of their evolving friendship Eric continues to battle the feeling that he's alone in his perceptions and world: "Eric ate on autopilot, only nodding and responding with the occasional yes or no. He felt alone. No matter how many people were

around him it was a feeling he could never shake."

As events reveal Dust's history and why only Eric can perceive the phantoms that coalesce upon the town, Eric struggles with remaining an outcast in a circle of peers that increasingly becomes sympathetic to him and less supportive of bully Greg, who won't leave Eric alone.

That Norwood depicts Eric's encounters as a series of ongoing events with no magical resolution by a sudden best friend is tribute to the realistic flavor of Vanished from Dust. Where other young adult stories cut corners by having a friendship magically transform and thwart bullying, this depicts an ongoing issue.

Where other young adult sagas of the paranormal would have events quickly explained, Eric (and the reader) remains in the dark for a very long time.

And when Eric finds his phantom visions threaten him and possibly the entire town, only he can summon the courage and forces to make some tough decisions.

Paranormal mysteries are not uncommon. What is uncommon - and powerful - in Vanished from Dust is an attention to providing details that, like life, hold no simple answers or pat resolutions.

Add an unexpected confrontation with time travel involved and you have a story line filled with complex twists of plot that never cuts corners with a shortcut - and that is its greatest strength of all.

Prepare for a cliffhanger: as it's Book One in a projected series, the action is just getting off the ground and the stage is set for more.

Kentucky Bestiary
Joseph Hirsch
Paragraph Line
9780984422364 $12.95 www.amazon.com

Officer Peter Silone has been involved in big-city police work for most of his adult life, and it's been a long time since he's been back to the small Kentucky Appalachian town where he spent many a happy summer as a child. Perhaps it's a longing to go back to simpler times and places (or, to go home again) that prompts him to accept a job in a neighboring rural county. Whatever the motivation, it's a position that proves anything but low-key as Peter battles both a meth amphetamine and the possibility of monsters inhabiting long-abandoned coal mines.

If this sounds like an unusual blend of paranormal and mystery, that's because Kentucky Bestiary

is all about cutting-edge writing when it comes to juggling two disparate genres for maximum effect. A number of notable devices contribute to this exceptional pairing.

The first of them is a sense of place: Joseph Hirsch first builds a solid foundation and then, like a painter, constructs a vivid set of landscape impressions cemented by the protagonists' observations of and interactions with their environment: "The town hall and the courthouse and the fire station were built from those ancient slabs and boulders, each rock shelf with the dimensions of the tablets Moses had brought down from the hills. Their substantial nature was a thing of beauty, but it was also what made the newer buildings so tacky to his eye."

Facts about this Appalachia setting are so finely woven into the story line that readers, too, will find themselves immersed in this sense of place, with its human and natural history: "The windows were rolled down, letting in warm spring air, and he spied a looming peregrine falcon gliding through the blue sky before it disappeared on the other side of a sheer outcropping of Rimrock. This part of Appalachia was still a major part of a great migratory flyway, one that had been used by all manner of birds since a time long before the passenger pigeon had disappeared into the mists of extinction."

Secondly, a sense of history and culture completes a strong local portrait of the small town's changes: "The cryptozoologist grinned. "You're a bit younger than me, so you wouldn't know what Roosevelt meant to the people of my parents' generation. But for them, he was about as close as you could get to Jesus without being nailed to a cross."

Last but not least, elements of the supernatural come into play after being intriguingly insinuated at numerous points. Readers may be prepared for these elements; but not for where they will lead under Peter Silone's inquiry - and this is the heart of a story that successfully draws readers where few others dare to go, into the heart of rural culture, rural clashes, and impossible nightmares.

Keep in mind that demons come in all forms; and so Kentucky Bestiary imparts challenging transformations on all manner of beasts, natural and supernatural alike. As Peter probes long-sleeping dogs and awakens brutal forces during the course of his investigations, readers become immersed in the sights, sounds and vision of a small town under fire from many places.

So many 'supernatural mysteries' fail because they don't properly create a solid sense of place, purpose, and mystery. In some cases the supernatural forces are either too predictable or outright confusing.

That's why Kentucky Bestiary is so satisfyingly different: it succeeds in all aspects of cementing mystery, purpose, and place with an intriguing supernatural aspect that is both surprising and logical - and that makes it a recommendation above many other similar-sounding supernatural/mystery cross-genre reads.

Blogging For Smarties: Blogging for Authors and Speakers
Yvonne Wu
The YP Publishing
9780981302515
$15.00 with video access / $6.00 without
http://theyppublishing.com/about-2/bloggingforsmarties

RSS feeds. WordPress. Web hosting options. It all sounds like Greek if you haven't blogged before; but blogging has moved neatly beyond the personal journal and into social networking, becoming a requirement for authors who want to promote their books. Those who have no prior blogging experience should begin here, with a basic introduction to terminology, process, and logical blogging progression: Yvonne Wu has done all the footwork for this easy, step-by-step discussion accessible to those with little prior computer experience and no blogging background.

The foundation here lies in setting up a WordPress blog - including the 'why' of having a blog. Wu's ebook comes with companion videos to offer visuals for beginning and advanced readers: another benefit lending the step-by-step process illustration at every point.

Basic computer skills in downloading and accessing files are presumed, along with knowledge on how to purchase a domain name and host.

With these basics down, would-be bloggers receive clear direction on the nature, purpose, and progression of a blog, from creating pages for different purposes to identifying a target audience and understanding concepts of branding and content value: the main factors that attract and maintain audiences.

Chapters are geared to bloggers or those promoting public speaking either through podcasts or blogging, and offer clear insights into the advantages and disadvantages of using WordPress.

Also included are details on how to administer one's blog, from using tracking options and metrics to analytics and viral marketing.

From making money with blogs and podcasting and using WordPress for either or both to understanding how feeds work, Blogging For Smarties ideally will reach prospective bloggers before a blog goes live, and details an approach that considers building a bigger picture with better online exposure.

Newcomers to blogging, podcasting or online marketing will find it an important key in many decision-making processes surrounding constructing, promoting and using a blog.

The Game Plan Twisted
Foley Western
Links: www.Facebook.com/authorfoleywestern
www.foleywestern.com
www.Twitter.com/foleywestern
No ISBN, $TBA

It's meeting time again, and investigative agent Holly's dreams of becoming a P.I. have been set aside for the moment - or have they?

Despite the many obstacles she and partner Dan successfully survived in The Game Plan (including kidnappings, a host of international special interests, and possible disaster), Holly's familiarity with international politics doesn't mean she's now a shoe-in for her most coveted role in life. Indeed, her cousin Jack enjoys still needling her that she's not among the ranks of licensed professionals, despite the fact that she and Dan successfully pulled off what no professional could, busting a big case that had stymied police.

All this is about to change - and drastically - in The Game Plan Twisted, which takes the original story's premises and twists them into a new direction. And this is why it's recommended that readers know the original tale in order to completely appreciate the new directions this sequel provides.

As before, thriller writing for Foley Western becomes a delicate dance in which characters waltz around romance, intrigue, personal differences and career changes; all the while deftly circling terrorism and threats. Her attention to detail and a blend of personal introspection and action keep The Game Plan Twisted as fluid and exciting as its predecessor - and that's a big accomplishment in a genre where sequels are both common and just as often fall flat.

Just because Holly's planning for a wedding doesn't mean she's completely out of the picture when it comes to intrigue and danger, and as events unfold, the plot's precision in nailing down concurrent special interests makes for an involving read on many levels; not the least of which is in its unexpected changes (thus, The Game Plan Twisted).

In this scenario Eric (a newer, young client who has become unexpectedly wealthy at a very young age after inventing an eBay-like website) brings new issues and complexity to the table, using Holly's services to decide how to invest his largess - a potential warning sign in her mind when he asks if she'll take over his investing for him.

More questions arise when a mother Holly hasn't seen in over twenty years unexpectedly shows up sporting an large sum of money and a story that wrenches at her heartstrings, sparking new, sad memories of being raised by a single parent father after her mother abandons the family.

By mid-read there's a lot of loose ends, tangled family ties, twisted intentions and misread cues promising a host of threats to Holly's impending happiness.

Love, crime, abandonment, and changed dreams lie at the heart of so many disrupted game plans here that it seems like the story line's going to be one big series of personal and professional disasters, with a lot of protagonist regrets becoming collateral damage in the process: "When did his life become so bizarre? He had spent his entire life wishing for a father, and for siblings. He wanted what his friends had, the thing that money couldn't buy him, a family. Now that he had one, he was hoping that it wasn't too late to give them back."

Crime, love, and the best of intentions aren't that simple, however, as Holly, Eric, Dan and others come to find out. As Holly discovers Eric's family intricacy proves more troubled than her own, she pursues leads to even more impossible situations, tempered by her and Dan's growing love: "There were so many times in the past year that I thought we would never make it to this place." "Aruba?" he said with a grin. "You know what I mean," she said with a playful scowl. "This place where our lives are finally content and we don't have to look over our shoulders." "I don't mean to be a killjoy here," he said, "But there is still the matter of a missing terrorist, and a kingpin of a mother they haven't found."

Gut-wrenching truths about family connections emerge before everything winds down. The progression of mystery and intricate social links between protagonists keep The Game Plan Twisted compelling; especially for prior readers of the first book, who will find protagonists, backgrounds, hidden logic and events merge to satisfying depth and conclusion, all spiced with the same fast-paced intrigue and action that marked The Game Plan.

Meritropolis
Joel Ohman
Privately Published
9781500189600 $TBA www.meritropolis.com

The ideal sci-fi book should ultimately prove not just entertaining, but a superior read; providing more than just a memorable plot and protagonist by attending to deeper issues such as the consequences of individual decisions and actions. Meritropolis achieves this and more, and stands out from the masses of apocalyptic survival works permeating today's sci-fi market.

In the year AE 3 everyone is assigned a 'merit number'; but instead of a Scouting badge, this number decides an individual's worth to society and whether that person will live or die. It's Meritropolis's way of ensuring survival of the fittest after the Event. Charley is blessed with a high score ensuring his survival - but that doesn't mean he agrees with the system. In fact, he's fighting it.

In a world where the threat of Judgment Day has been replaced by the weekly ritual of Assessment Day, civilization's inhabitants meekly accept a custom that smacks of moral and ethical problems.

Overseeing it all is a savior's son who has grown up to become a dictator. To Orson, the System is the perfect tool for making tough decisions on managing people, and he's come to believe he's an expert in its manipulation. Everything hinges on one basic principle: "The welfare of Meritropolis took precedence over the selfishness of the individual." And each citizen has to agree to the System to enjoy the benefits of living within the City's gated walls of protection.

There's only one real threat to the System... something that comes from inside and could bring it down: teenagers.

Orson's belief in the System's integrity is just as strong as seventeen-year-old Charley's perception that it's intrinsically wrong. It'll take a group outing outside the city's walls to show both that neither idea is quite valid - and it'll take much more to challenge and change engrained survival mechanisms that no longer work.

Orson's perspective is quite clear: he's in charge of an entire city's survival and the System clearly perpetuates that process: "The System puts food on the table. The System is always right. In the end, that's all that matters," Orson stated briskly. "You will come to realize that, of course. Youth is impetuous and idealistic. I understand that. In the end, however, we all accept what life has dealt us. If there is a

God, then He has left us to fend for ourselves in this hellhole."

As questions of God, free will, and choice enter the picture, Charley finds himself changing sides and helping low-number people survive the system. While the story line is predictable, Charley's interactions with various individuals (who work within and outside the system) keep its pace fast and personal. It's the buildup of protagonist motivations and experiences which make Meritropolis an inviting sci-fi read.

Stories of survival in end-of-days scenarios are numerous. So are confrontations between different forces charged with preserving humanity through efforts that aren't entirely moral or ethical.

What differentiates Meritropolis from other genre reads is its focus on a take-charge teen who refutes the notion that the greater good lies in crossing ethical and moral lines, and who considers the remnants of humanity's social links to be just as important as the mechanisms devised for survival of the Event.

To ultimately prove a superior read, an ideal sci-fi book should include insights on consequences of decisions and actions. Charley is a powerful protagonist finding his own way in a much-changed world, and brings readers along for a ride which will prove wild at times, always involving, and filled with depth and ethical insights.

Kissing the Sky
Cristina Olsen
Suncloud Press
9780990532804 $21.95 http://www.cristinaolsen.com

Kissing the Sky provides an unusual blend of autobiography, poetry, photography and art, and pairs Cristina Olsen's

color photos with reflections on life in general and her experiences of it in particular. Light and color illuminate her perceptions of everything from parents to the wider world beyond home: "I was a small child in a crib/wailing alone in the night,/when in he rushed, a solar wind/flooding the room with light,/lifting me up and holding me tight."

From methods of 'keeping down pain' to expressions of celebration, poetry is the medium that weaves together the author's life and observations, with each poetic work enjoying a supportive color photo from her hand and art: "I am an open book/pouring myself out in rivers of print/from another time,/another place./Decades of underground torrents/of ancient springs dampened by silence/from another time, another place."

Kissing the Sky is one of those poetry books that are hard to neatly define. Readers who pursue it for its poetry alone will find the works are largely free verse and always autobiographical, connecting Olsen's life to greater questions of its meaning; while those attracted to its photographic embellishments will find her nature-oriented landscape images to be especially inviting and evocative.

Those who choose Kissing the Sky for what it is (a multi-faceted combination of literature and art, cemented by the author's life experiences) will be most satisfied by the amalgamation of forces evident throughout a mixture of sorrow, celebration of beauty, and revelations on surviving the "onslaught of living".

Pair this with landscape descriptions permeating color photo and poem alike and you have a winning, unusual combination recommended for readers who enjoy poetry, photos and autobiography.

Absolute Justice
Larry W. Pitts
www.larrywpitts.com
Yawn's Publishing
www.yawnspublishing.com
Hardcover: ISBN: 9871940395432 $29.95
Ebook: ISBN: 9871940395456

It's not immediately clear, from its title alone, that Absolute Justice is actually a murder mystery about a missing lawyer and not a story about the criminal justice system; but a mystery is what evolves when a wife's search for her missing husband uncovers a wider circle of greed, murder, and devious motivations.

Private investigator Nick Price was hired to locate a missing person, but becomes involved in something entirely outside of his area of expertise when he tracks a murderer with a greater motivation for embarking on a killing spree.

What sets Absolute Justice apart in the murder mystery genre is its attention to detail: the details of unscrupulous business connections gone wrong, of a feisty secretary (Mable) who contributes to Nick Price's investigation, and of police department and criminal connections which create a murky path to any clear resolution process.

And let's not forget the humor: an unusual device in a murder mystery to be sure, but one which lends a satisfying tongue-in-cheek tone to Nick's first-person observational: "Judging by the boastful list of services, it was easy to imagine teams of agents working diligently on your behalf - but in reality, there was only a lone-wolf investigator working from a hole-in-the-wall office in the low-rent section of downtown Atlanta."

There's an Indian girlfriend, Naija Patel, who forms the other half of a blossoming odd couple, a police officer friend who finds inside information for Nick's investigation, and fun reflections and colorful descriptions one normally doesn't anticipate from a murder mystery: "She looked at me a moment. Today I was wearing a dark gray suit, a white shirt with pale blue stripes, and a red and blue striped tie. I still had on my charcoal Borsalino fedora. I hoped she liked what she saw. I knew I liked what I saw. "You look like you just stepped out of a 1940's movie," she said. I love the nostalgic look from the late 1940's and 50's, and my fedora with its wide brim that tilted down above the eyes emanated the persona of a classic private detective. If it makes me look as if I just stepped from a 1940's movie, all the better."

In the process of casting Nick as a somewhat wry P.I., Larry W. Pitts nails the character and the routines of a P.I.'s investigative techniques: "I hadn't gotten any concrete clues to Garrett's whereabouts, but now I knew two things: that somehow Southeast Realty was involved in the case, and that somebody named Barton was very interested in what I

was doing. Plus, I had a suspicion that Lawson was somehow involved in Garrett's disappearance."

The 'hard-boiled detective' tone of Absolute Justice is gritty and clear, reminiscent of 1940s gumshoe atmosphere but with a modern persona and setting. The personal psychology is also solid, interspersed with the mechanics of puzzle-solving and the built-in drama of a complex, evolving case: "When someone you know suddenly dies it reminds you how fragile and precious life is, because you never know when it could suddenly end. And murder makes it that much harder to accept."

All these elements join forces to present a memorable story line, a well-rounded protagonist whose personal life is filled with both challenging and supportive characters, and a series of puzzlers that will keep investigators (and most readers) guessing to the end.

Cannon Fodder
Margaret Taylor
Margaret Taylor, Publisher
9781311269942 $3.99

Website: http://steamtrainsandghosts.wordpress.com
Ordering links: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/424257
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cannon-fodder-margaret-r-taylor/1119059298
http://www.amazon.com/Cannon-Fodder-Margaret-R-Taylor-ebook/dp/B00JD0GNEU

If you heard glass breaking downstairs, wouldn't you investigate further? And if a book opened with that event ("Alec could already hear glass breaking downstairs. It was a wake for an evil overlord, after all."), wouldn't you continue investigating? That's the compelling beginning of Cannon Fodder, which opens with a bang (or a shatter, as the case may be) and keeps its action vivid and engrossing from its very first sentence.

It's no easy trick to keep such a pace: invariably books fall short (or readers fall behind) with such swift action. Not so with Cannon Fodder, which succeeds in blending fantasy with mystery, injects a teen protagonist with the savvy and commitment to solve his aunt's murder, and revolves around the first evil scheme in young Alec Nightshade's evolution as a member of the Norgolian Society of Evil Overlords.

One wouldn't expect to find such a plot replete with an undercurrent of humor, but its there - and proves a very satisfying addition to the story line: "What have you killed so far?" The man put his fists up. "Huh? Huh?" What the heck was he supposed to do? Were they supposed to fight? Then to his relief, he spotted a face he recognized in the crowd. It was the Merchant of Death."

The problem is that Alec isn't inherently evil - thus, his lack of a proper Evil Scheme. And when he stumbles upon a threat to the world in the form of the Eggbeater of Doom (a device that can summon a destructive god into the world to wreak vengeance upon humans), his first inclination is not to hatch an evil scheme so much as to manipulate circumstances to elevate his position as an Evil Overlord and hopefully thwart the short life expectancy his family suffers.

When the Eggbeater is eggnapped, Alec and his faithful minions find themselves in a race against time to not destroy a city, but save it. And isn't this pursuit contrary to an Evil Overlord's agenda?

As Alec accomplishes both good and evil deeds, Margaret Taylor's humor proves an unrelenting, fun stream running through all proceedings: "Captain Egregious!" the Merchant said once the connection went through. He tilted his head as if looking around behind Alec. "Oh, an Imperial landship." "Yeah, stole it," Alec said. "Well done. Er, evilly done. You know what I mean." The Merchant fell silent. For a moment, there was only the sound of branches scraping the hull of the landship. "You missed the appointment for picking up the key to the kraken," he said."

And as the Eggbeater changes hands and purposes and challenges even the evilest of intentions, action moves from unrelenting to become a comic tour de farce and a lesson in intention and achievement. It's all about building a proper scheme, handling forces that would mess with it, and struggling with influences on all sides.

Can Alec handle the heat? Perhaps ... if he escapes the pressure cooker of juggling too many disparate interests, including the world's future existence. It all boils down to trust and breaking rules, including those of Evil Overlords. And under these conditions, does Alec even want to become a ruler?

Cannon Fodder's vivid blend of humor and fantasy, and ironic twists will keep readers of all ages guessing right up to its unexpected conclusion, which leaves the door wide open for many future possibilities in one of the most exciting, involving fantasy/mystery/young adult reads of the year.

Aesop's Keys to Profitable Marketing
Dr. Betsy Kruger
Publishing Directions
9781928782582 $17.95 www.betsykruger.com

Business leaders who look for more than the usual dry approach to marketing, who wonder whether the 80/20 rule is a proven fact, and who seek real-world applications of this cornerstone of business achievement will find Aesop's Keys to Profitable Marketing to be a vivid, essential discussion.

In fact, Aesop's Keys doesn't just sprinkle in real-world models to spice up theory: it centers upon some 24 examples that clearly show how to apply the 80/20 rule to various marketing decisions, explaining basics such as why quality beats quantity every time, when discounted pricing fails, and how to leverage limited resources by using suppliers.

Where other business books would approach marketing decisions with generalities, Aesop's Keys provides specifics; right down to tables that predict how much a narrow focus will magnify profits. For example, one marketing decision is to develop distribution channels that consistently 'wow' customers in its target market.

Each business insight is cemented by a business-oriented vignette paired with an actual Aesop tale. In one tale, a businessman asks Aesop to evaluate a promotion for his business and Aesop mocks him for being "his own trumpeter." In contrast, effective promotions empathize with key customers, demonstrate value, and provide prospects with concrete and specific information. Business savvy about promotions is summarized with the Aesop Key to "trumpet empathy."

Key marketing strategies such as profiling preferred customers, adding value, and pruning unprofitable products or services are introduced and then applied at every step of the way. More than merely conveying the 80/20 rule, Aesop's Keys encourages business leaders to revise their marketing plans and effectively apply the 80/20 rule to various aspects of marketing their businesses.

All aspects have been covered elsewhere to some degree or another; but presenting them under one cover in a format that consistently and effectively cements theory with real-world marketing decisions makes Aesop's Keys a powerful standout in a genre replete with overly complex or poorly thought-out works.

The bottom line? Business leaders seeking profitable results through new, applied directions will find that Aesop's Keys to Profitable Marketing provides an easy formula of success for virtually any business endeavor, from running a health clinic to selling product.

Islam: Religion Of Health, Not Submission
Mohammad Babaee
Association for Muslims of United States
9780989898027 (sc) $4.99, www.amazon.com
9780989898034 (e)

There have been many, many books written analyzing Islam's religion and culture; but Islam: Religion Of Health, Not Submission offers something different: a perspective that focuses on and considers the concept of submission in a social and spiritual context, and provides a direct, supported rebuttal to the idea that 'submission' is the literal meaning of Islam rather than its true meaning (health).

For all creatures, the rules governing social organization are inherent in their structure and physiology. All human behaviors are due to physiology, and human physiology is a result of God's volition: ergo, these behaviors are a direct result of our obedience to God's volition.

The most intriguing moments of Islam: Religion Of Health lie in its specific analysis of the idea and process of submission versus health. Chapters provide captivating snippets of reflection on this process, inviting believers in Islam and general spiritual readers alike to consider the wider ramifications of Islam in a religious context: "Submission can be said to be meaningful only when the submitted one has the option to oppose. It implies that a living creature can behave against his physiology and yet survive."

Chapters then provide a history of Muslim interactions with each other and with God, with overlaying themes of submission, defiance, health and spiritual insight woven into each story.

As to the 'health' part of the equation, in Islam: Religion Of Health, Islam is literally translated as meaning 'health': the way of making health, giving health and avoiding harm. Prior interpretations of the Quran have missed this point - and others - and so the entire topic needs re-interpretation and re-thinking. This book is a starting point: the author literally asks "Has self-awareness in human really reached its maximum?" No: we have a long ways to go in the goal of achieving physical, mental, spiritual and social health before we can truly realize the essence of Islam's message. The specific interpretation of numerous passages of Quran text as it relates to ideas of both submission and health make this a very fine analysis indeed, with an approach that documents specifics, not generalities.

It's a scholarly yet fluid read, accompanying many quotes from Islam texts and footnoted references with the history of how Islam came to be associated with a process of submission: "Arabs' Rebellion temper and bellicosity of that time, and also the importance of property and wealth, were the first motivation for defining Islam as blind submission so that in this way not only to calm down the Arabs by the name of religion and God, but also to make Muslims who had problem with paying Zakat, obedient. At that time not accepting this issue was at the cost of losing life and property."

Now, don't expect perfect English, here. There are numerous issues of grammatical oddities throughout which are to be noted, but which largely don't detract from the book's underlying message.

Readers are admonished to 'seek the truth' in their religious studies and reading; and that is the strength of Islam: Religion Of Health, which will appeal to any who want a more studious assessment of the history of Islam, its most basic beliefs, and why most popular interpretations are off-base.

Diane Donovan
Senior Reviewer


Klausner's Bookshelf

Skin of the Wolf
Sam Cabot
Blue Rider Press
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.us.penguingroup.com
9780399162961, $26.95, www.amazon.com

In 1431, Pope Martin V and Noantri vampiric leaders signed the top secret Concordat in which both sides agree to live in peace. The agreement document vanished from the Vatican in the nineteenth century. A few months ago archivist Lorenzo Cardinal Cossa assigned Father Thomas Kelly to bring it back before its exposure caused damage to the Church (and to the Noantri). In Rome, he and Noantri scholars Livia Pietro and Spencer George searched for the missing artifact (see Blood of the Lamb).

In Central Park, a wolf viciously attacks Spencer. Not far away at Sotheby's someone violently murders an employee and steals an Iroquois mask. The unholy trio who found the Concordat team up again and uncover evidence of another species living amidst the humans. These Native American shapeshifters have never forgotten the "New World" ethnic cleansing of previous centuries; they plan to prevent twenty-first century genocide by using the mask to abet their shifter conversions even if its leaves millions of humans dead.

The second Noantri-Church paranormal is a pleasant thriller in which team Sam Cabot have fun with their winning plot filled with humorous asides re supernatural beings. Though not as fresh as its remarkable predecessor; Skin of the Wolf is a fast-paced New York saga as revelations of the existence of a third species shake up the "natural order".

Alone In The Classroom
Elizabeth Hay
Quercus
31, West 57th Street, New York, NY10019
www.quercus.com
9781623651053, $24.99, www.amazon.com

In 1937 Ontario, schoolgirl Ethel Wier picks berries. Not long after she started, someone brutally murders her; leaving behind her battered body, two pails and berries. The murder is identical to that of a killing almost a decade earlier in Saskatchewan.

In the present historian Anne Flood reads newspaper articles written by her aunt Connie the journalist. In 1929, eighteen year old Connie Flood became a teacher in Saskatchewan. Her principal Parley Burns takes a special interest in her as he seems to do with all the young females (staff and students) in the school. Once a failed thespian and playwright, Parley loves the theater. Not surprising, the principal directs Hardy's classic Tess of the d'Urbervilles starring thirteen-year-old Susan Graves. Like a Svengali to Susan's Trilby (see Trilby by George du Maurier), he shapes the teen into what Parley believes is a star. Meanwhile Connie recognizes that Susan's older brother Michael is not a menacing retard, but instead an intelligent person who learns for some unknown reason differently than the norm. As she works and encourages him, a tragedy forces a mass exit from the province.

In 1937 Ontario, Connie the reporter runs into Parley just after Ethel's vicious homicide. She realizes raging martinet Parley had opportunity in both cases, but lacks substantive evidence to accuse him.

This enthralling twentieth century murder epic is not an easy read with switching time periods and an absorbing point of view. Character driven by a deep cast (to include the narrator), readers will believe we were transported to the Depression Era Canadian Plains as Elizabeth Hay provides a compelling literary mystery.

Jaspar's War
Cym Lowell
Rosemary Beach Press LLC
PO Box 611070, Rosemary Beach, FL 32461
www.rosemarybeach.com
9780991491308, $12.99, www.amazon.com

Trevor Moran was the star quarterback when Notre Dame won the national championship game. He became a success at Wall St. and with his beloved wife Jaspar raises two tweeners (Theo and Chrissy) in Greenwich, Connecticut. When the economy collapsed, the President appointed Trevor as the Treasury Secretary to begin saving the country and the world from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.

While Trevor is in Europe trying to persuade reluctant leaders to spend money on stimulus packages, Jaspar watches her kids playing baseball. After the game, Jaspar turns frantic when she cannot find her children in spite of tight security. At the same FBI Agent McGuire informs Jaspar that Trevor's flight home from London crashed in the ocean near Iceland. A text message from Trevor arrives informing her that her spouse is shark food and her kids will join him as ocean waste if she does not shut up re the stimulus package. Not one to back down and willing to do anything and ally with the worst dregs of society, Jaspar begins a quest to rescue her children from those who plot to destroy the United States.

Over the top of the Burj Khalifa, Jaspar's War is an action-packed pulp fiction thriller that grips the audience from the moment the Mama Grizzly hunts for those who abducted her cubs and assassinated her mate. Fast-paced, readers will root for the heroine to kick ass as Cym Lowell provides readers with an entertaining tale. Note that 100% of the proceeds from this saga go to Operation: Next Chapter to help wounded warriors stay connected through the Soldiers' Angels Project: Valour-IT.

Doghouse (A Gin & Tonic Mystery)
L.A. Kornetsky
Pocket Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 13th fl., NY, NY 10020
www.pocketbooks.com
9781476750040, $7.99, www.amazon.com

At Mary's in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, private concierge Ginny Mallard and recently promoted bar manager Teddy Tonica have become friends. Her shar-pei Georgie and his cat Penny (though everyone except him knows he is her pet) are also buddies. Recently the quartet pawed their way through two "cases" (see Fixed and Collared) that proved dangerous.

However, both are shocked when Mary's cantankerous old cook Seth grumbles in true snark form as only he can that he wants to hire them; he always warned them to stay away from inquiries since they are unlicensed amateurs. Seth explains his old boxing buddy Deke Hoban took too many punches so is slow but nice. Deke's landlord Cooper plans to evict him based on the punch drunk former pugilist allowing dogs inside the house he leases; thus voiding the rental contract condition of no pets. Pleading his case Seth insists Deke would never sponsor dogfighting as Cooper implies he did and claims his friend needs to stay in this place as the rent is cheap and he knows his way around there. Finally Seth wants Gin and Tonic to find proof that the landlord is full of sh*t. Though they know Deke needs a lawyer rather than two amateurs like them, because of Seth they look into the claim with surreptitiousness help from Georgie and stealth direction from field officer Penny.

The third Gin & Tonic "researchtigations" is an appealing anthropomorphist amateur sleuth enhanced by life in a cheerful neighborhood bar. The lead humans and their animal owners remain fresh leads while the case proves bloody in the ring and the bar.

The Game And The Governess
Kate Noble
Pocket Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 13th fl., NY, NY 10020
www.pocketbooks.com
9781476749389, $7.99, www.amazon.com

In 1822 "Lucky Ned" Ashby has become pompous and conceited ever since he became the earl several years earlier due to several untimely deaths. He hires his war friend John Turner as his secretary. However, their third pal Dr. Rhys Gray notices a strain between them probably caused by the changing of their relationship since Turner was Ashby's superior officer while fighting Napoleon. After an argument over whether women consider wealth when selecting a man, Ned and John make a bet. Ned will pretend to be John the secretary while John will be Ned the earl. As John, Ned must persuade Phoebe Baker to want him as working class Mr. Turner.

Five years earlier, then seventeen year old Phoebe's circumstances collapsed due to the inaction of the Earl of Ashby who chose to protect his lofty name and reputation rather than take down scoundrel Mr. Sharp; her father died and all she could hope for was becoming a governess. Ned begins his campaign to win Phoebe's heart, but she seems uninterested in him as her goal remains moving to America. As he falls in love, Ned learns firsthand the downside of England. His biggest fear is that his good luck may have run out when it comes to Phoebe who loathes the Earl of Ashby.

Though historical romance wagers are not new (see His By Christmas by Kaitlin O'Riley), Kate Noble refreshes the concept due to Ned's coming of age maturation into a caring person rather than vacuous "Lucky Ned". As he finds out what life is like for non-aristocrats; ironically the romance begins later than usual yet the brave heroine steals this fun Regency from the three bettors.

City Of Stairs
Robert Jackson Bennett
Broadway Books
c/o Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY, 10036
www.broadwaybooks.com
9780804137171, $15.00, www.amazon.com

Bulikov the Divine City was once the central sacred seat of power as a brutal military abetted by violent deities conquered and viciously oppressed millions. However that is the past; in the present its former colony Saypur replaced Bulikov as the superpower and adding insult to how far the change in fortunes have occurred, the once oppressed nation relies on the miracle of technology governing its past conquerors.

Ashara's great-grandfather, as the Kaj of Saypur, led a successful revolt against the ironfisted Bulikov tyrants. When he killed the Divinities that made Bulikov the greatest nation, the Kaj freed his people and those of other lands. However, an unintended consequence left power vacuums throughout the lands leading to open conflict within and without as the tyrannical control of Bulikov had kept everyone in line. Currently Shara the espionage agent investigates the assassination of Saypuri professor Dr. Pangyui apparently for studying the once Divine City's inglorious past, a tabooed topic. Instead with help from her assistant and her ex-lover, Shara begins to find the unthinkable evidence that some of the Divinities survived the onslaught and live in hiding waiting for the moment to regain their version of paradise lost.

City of Stairs is an exciting fantasy noir in which readers will feel transported to Bulikov. The storyline starts slow as the Bennett world comes into complex focus, but once Shara's inquiry takes shape by ironically spinning out of control into a wider thriller, the storyline also accelerates. With a deep philosophical look at unintended consequences and second order effects of moral causes (think of Iraq and Yugoslavia), Mr. Bennett's opening epic is an insightful complex (and convoluted) tale.

Live Bait
Fazio Genovesi, author
Michael F. Moore, translator
Other Press
2 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10016
www.otherpress.com
9781590516812, $15.95, www.amazon.com

Nothing of significance (good or bad) ever happens in the small Tuscan town Muglione. Teenager Fiorenzo is like all of the young as he struggles with his future though atypical since he had the misfortune of losing a hand in a childhood accident. Currently he skips school to work at his widowed father's bait shop and to sing with his band Metal Devastation.

Nineteen years old Fiorenzo meets thirtyish beautiful, brilliant and bored Tiziana, who runs the local youth center. The teen and the older woman appear as opposites, yet they connect because in each other they find an honest soul seeking to escape ennui.

Live Bait is an engaging look at contemporary Italian youth with Fiorenzo representing every teen facing seemingly no future, surviving a boring past and dealing with a nothing present. By being the exception to what the rest of the young masses confront, a top level teenage cyclist emphasizes this hopeless phenomenon. Leisurely-paced and at times slow, readers will enjoy a glimpse of life in Italy for the millenniums.

The Hunt For Pierre JNR
David M. Henley
Harper Voyager
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
9780732295608, $16.99, www.amazon.com

By the middle of the twenty-second century, a small segment of the twenty billion humans residing inside the domes evolved with extrasensory mental powers. Derogatorily dubbed psionics by those who feared their superiority will allow dominance if unchecked; the World Union established the Services with a mission to control these dangerous mutants. The Services aggressively capture, isolate and incarcerate psionics on remote islands in order to inhibit the impact of psi skills and prevent a revolt.

In 2151 an experiment mated registered Psionics Pierre Sandro and Mary Kastonovich; which leads to giving birth to Pierre Jnr. Three months later, Pierre Jnr escapes and vanishes. In spite of a massive manhunt by the Services, he is not found and assumed dead as he is a baby even with special kinetic skills never remotely recorded before.

However, the worst nightmare of those in power surfaces in 2159 when a sighting of eight year old Pierre Jnr is confirmed by the Weave; as the legend of a psi with the uncanny ability to control others' minds lives. The Services assigns the best psi hunters of the Primacy military wing abetted by telepath Peter Lazarus who surrendered after three decades of freedom beneath the radar to prevent the most powerful psi ever, who he believed caused his sister to suicide, from killing the world.

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr is a superb science fiction thriller that extrapolates present day issues like the environment and related moral and amoral responses into the next century. Rapidly changing points of view makes it initially difficult to follow who's who, but also brings a fabulous frantic desperate pace to this character-driven yet action-packed futuristic thriller.

The Queen Of The Tearling
Erika Johansen
Harper
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
9780062290366, $26.99, Jul 8 2014

Nine warriors with ten horses arrive in the forest to escort Kelsea Glynn back to her birthplace New London as the now nineteen year old comes home to the Keep for the first time since she was an infant to replace her vain mother as Queen of Tear. As she awaits the Ascension ceremony to replace her uncle the regent, Kelsea knows she is naive and that the leaders, including Captain of the Guard Lazarus, have no respect for her. Though she misses her elderly guardians (Barty and Carlin) Kelsea accepts her responsibly and the fact that she has a lot to learn about political intrigue and family members. Kelsea understands she lacks experience, but also learned a lot from Barty and Carlin including to conceal her insecurities behind a facade of decisiveness.

Heeding the visions the Tearling gem she wears now provides her, the new queen proves resolute when she ends the horrid treaty her mother made with Mortmense; which angers their sorceress Red Queen. Still sadly Kelsea accepts her decree will cause some of her subjects to die as war is a certainty, but also gains the admiration from her warriors starting with Lazarus. This and other decisions the royal makes upset her uncle and other powerful leaders who plot to unseat her.

This is a strong opening act of an action-packed post-apocalyptic fantasy starring a coming of age protagonist who is a combo of doubts and tenacity. Although more insight into the heroine's childhood and of the cataclysmic destruction of technology is needed to anchor time and place; readers will appreciate The Queen of the Tearling trying to do the right thing for her people.

The Rods And The Axe
Tom Kratman
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781476736563, $25.00, www.amazon.com

After leading his adopted country Balboa in victory against the more powerful Tauran Union, Duque of the Legion del Cid Patricio Carrera knows the war is not over even if the enemy was forced to humiliatingly retreat. He also accepts his side does not have the logistical capability to bring the combat to Tauran and expects the adversary to invade again within two months, but wants it on his terms. Thus he and former general turned elected President Raul Parilla argue over what to do with the overwhelming number of POWs besides using the uninjured to dig anti-tank trenches.

Carrera believes Tauran will bring an ally with them in the next battle; but he wants to select who. Based on the theory that "my friend's enemy is my friend" he angers the Zhong Guo Empress so she deploys her troops as an unreliable ally of the Tauran. The countdown to the final battle begins with the Zhong knowing they must seize the Isla Real fortress as the first step in their final solution.

With a nod to a premise of Reddington (Black List) that "...and sometimes the enemy of my enemy is just an enemy", this exciting, action-packed Carrera military science fiction is an entertaining thriller. In order to fight under his terms and thus reduce the chance of defeat, once again Carrera executes the same general principal he successfully used previously to bait foes; who never learned Einstein's definition of insanity: "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Series fans will enjoy this entry while looking forward to the continuation of the latest battle in the next tale.

Ghosts of Time
Steve White
Baen
9781476736570, $15.00

Temporal Regulatory Authority agent Thanou Jason is called back from leave because of a dire emergency. The late Temporal Service team leader Pauline da Cunha left evidence that proves another nanotech bomb was left in 1865 Richmond. Though Temporal Service Chief Executive Kyle Rutherford knows the danger of returning Jason to a time and place he (and other teammates) has visited; he assigns him to lead the team of four operatives and civilian Civil War expert (especially on Richmond) Carlos Dabney back to war torn Virginia.

The six person unit arrives in the Confederacy capital in December 1864. They trek across the cold city heading to the residence of President Jefferson Davis where their local contact with Transhumanist information resides. Meanwhile the Transhumanists taking full advantage of the fog of war deploy their latest scheme.

The fourth Jason Thanou time travel thriller (see Blood of Heroes and Pirates of the Timestream) is an exciting tale made stronger by the deep background of ravaged Civil War Virginia at a time in which Confederacy leaders know their cause is dying. The Transhumanists' plot is cleverly conceived and executed while the heroes struggle to prevent an untimely disaster.

Monster Hunter Nemesis
Larry Correia
Baen
9781476736556, $25.00

In Vegas, a week and a half has passed since the Top Secret first annual International Conference of Monster Hunting Professionals and the SHOT shooting industry show converged into open combat. Part of the neon lights urban warfare, rogue Monster Control Bureau Agent Franks cooperates as he explains his invincibility origins to an agent assigned by POTUS to interrogate him.

He explains that alchemist Johann Conrad Dippel created the Elixir of Life that worked well on the dead but not on the living. When he escaped Dippel's hell, he made a deal with the Creator to kill the evil but to leave humans alone though he admits to interpreting their contract rather loosely. Franks further clarifies that he replaced a virginal sacrifice and destroyed the cult but lost an arm to a demon he ultimately pinned to a ship deck until the leviathan destroyed this malevolence.

The fifth MHI urban fantasy (see Monster Hunter Alpha, Monster Hunter International and Monster Hunter Vendetta) is a pleasurable thriller that ties very closely to the recent events in Monster Hunter Legion; so much it behooves the audience to read that tale first. Although no major threads are climaxed and more seemingly begun, the insight into this enigmatic rogue with his different value system (than that of the majority of humans) is action-packed fun.

Hope Renewed
David Drake and S.M. Stirling
Baen
9781476736587, $14.00

"The Sword." On planet Bellevue, Raj Whitehall visits the Center battle computer to discuss recent events (see The Forge) with his friend Thom Poplanich, who temporary is revived from stasis. Raj and his wife Suzette fear that his military victories leave him at great risk from either public execution or assassins working for Civic Government Governor Barholm Clerett, whose late wife Anne was Whitehall's greatest supporter. Chancellor Robert Tzetzas has begun the process of destroying the top general. Everything changes when the Colony led by Ali the Settler and Tewfik invades land with a strong force that quickly takes Gurnyca. To his disbelief, Barholm learns the tribute to the Colony has been underfunded and his troops unprepared for combat; both due to the corrupt Chancellor. Raj agrees to lead a counter force to defend Sandoral knowing he will be outnumbered 3:1.

"The Chosen." Once a highly regarded general, Raj Whitehall's essence has merged with the Center battle computer as they work in consort to achieve the goal of a Federation-like renaissance by duplicating themselves to deploy on other planets. They recruit youthful Santanders John Hosten and Jeffrey Farr to counter what is happening on Visager.

This omnibus reprint contains books 5 and 6 of the exciting General military science fiction thriller (see Hope Reborn for 1 and 2, and Hope Returned for 3 and 4). Though there is a deja vu feel to the Sword, this is a terrific climax to the Raj as field general saga. The Chosen is a supernova change to the series that once the audience adjusts turns into an entertaining military outer space epic.

The Hexed
Heather Graham
Mira
c/o Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road
Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
www.harlequin.ca
9780778316374, $7.99, www.amazon.com

Peabody, Massachusetts high school senior, Craig "Rocky" Rockwell is not into Melissa Wilson though she makes it clear she wants him. When he hears her calling out to him, he ignores her until he realizes she pleads for him to help her. Thinking of slasher movies he rushes towards where he believes the voice emanates; only to find Melissa with her throat sliced.

Thirteen years later, a second female victim in nearby Swampscott with the same M.O. of a sliced throated, posed as a pentagram and a silver medallion on her chest enables FBI Agent Rocky's transfer to the Krewe of Hunters unit. Special Agent Jackson Crow assigns him to the Massachusetts case though there is some concern over his emotional attachment to the first known vic.

Following the death of her great-Aunt Mina, Devin Lyle inherits her cabin and moves back to Salem to live there. She finds a corpse nearby her home, which brings Rocky into her life. They both quickly realize they share in common the ability to talk with ghosts as her Aunt Mina tries to assist them on their inquiry.

The latest Krewe of Hunters urban fantasy police procedural (see The Cursed and Phantom Evil) is a thrilling entry in which Heather Graham captures the essence of coastal Massachusetts north of Boston (I lived in the area including a wonderful month in Peabody in the early 1980s). Although the protagonists feel less developed than the usual zoo Krewe, the paranormal investigation brings as always top rate enjoyment with the otherworldly elements feeling genuine; while Ms. Graham hauntingly brings to life (and death) Salem and the surrounding towns.

The Mistress Of Normandy
Susan Wiggs
Mira
9780778316367, $7.99

In 1414 Westminster, King Henry V honors peasant soldier Enguerrand Fitzmarc for saving his life and that of his brother the Duke of Clarence from the religious fanatical Lollard assassins and for war heroics by naming him a knight the Baron of Longwood. However, he also learns how diabolically clever the monarch is as his estate is in Normandy where his paternal roots will help since he speaks French; additionally his chosen bride Lady Lianna who rules there.

Irate Lianna learns that the King sent an outsider from across the Channel to be lord of her and her land as her husband. She refuses to bow down to anyone even the monarch's anointed. When Lianna and Rand meet in the nearby woods; they are attracted to each other until she learns his identity. Though she loves Rand, Lianna, feeling betrayed, rejects him. While he struggles to earn the trust of the fiery female he cherishes, enemies of the English plot to kick the English off the continent starting with killing the pair and other Henry loyalists.

This "revised" version of 1991 The Lily and the Leopard (don't know how much was refreshed) is a winning medieval romance though the changing relationship between the lead couple is typical of the subgenre. Still Susan Wiggs (see Tudor Rose Trilogy) provides a satisfying historical starring two resilient resolute personalities clashing over love and leadership until a mutual deadly enemy threatens both of them and the locals they cherish.

The Dog Park
Laura Caldwell
Mira
9780778317142, $7.99

In Chicago, stylist Jess Champlin and reporter Sebastian Hess spent most of their time together arguing. To save their floundering marriage they adopted Baxter the Goldendoodle. His human parents fall in love with him, but their relationship ended in divorce with shared custody of Baxter. Jess and Sebastian continue to fight, for instance over Baxter's leash and collar, as they see each other once a week since their dog moves back and forth between them.

While walking with Jess, Baxter breaks loose and runs at full speed towards a toddler and her mom. He knocks the toddler down just before a truck would have hit little Clara. Vinnie recorded the incident and placed it on YouTube where it goes viral as everyone agrees with the grateful mom Betsy that Baxter is a superdog hero. As Jess' business takes off, she begins dating for the first time since her relationship (except for Baxter) with Sebastian ended, but a betrayal over what happened to her in New York shatters her confidence yet she has gained strength to face the past including her love for ex.

The Dog Park is a fascinating contemporary starring an OCD female and her beloved canine she treats as her toddler; in fairness her ex sees Baxter as a "man" since the canine no longer is a puppy. Baxter the superdog is the lead protagonist as he and the other dogs steal the show from his two-legged momma; his human dad is a secondary character. Though at times the plot turns too cute, The Dog Park is an enjoyable tale that looks deeply at the bond between a dog and a human.

Mr. Right Goes Wrong
Pamela Morsi
Mira
9780778316497, $7.99

Accompanied by her teenage son Tru, Mazy Gulliver left Wilmington to move back to her mom's home in Brandt Mountain, North Carolina; a place where her rep is that of a loose woman making bad decisions when it comes to men. Needing a job, the accounting clerk is grateful when her former lover, Tru's dad, Tad Driscoll hires her as a debt collector.

Her childhood friend Eli Latham still loves Mazy though she dumped the nice guy twice for unsavory types. Deciding to go for a walk-off homerun or a game ending strikeout, Eli the good guy changes his image into a bad boy as that is what Mazy always wanted. As she falls in love with the boy next door, he miscalculates the effect of the Tru factor; Mazy wants her Mr. Right to return to his being Mr. Nice instead of Mr. Wrong bad boy.

This regional third chance at love romance is a pleasurable contemporary starring a woman who found love with all the wrong men until now and a man who changes his nature so that he is her next and most important last one. Although Eli's changing his lifelong instinctual mental state 180 degrees overnight never comes across as plausible, readers will want Mazy and her caring Mr. Right to make it.

Cast In Flame
Michelle Sagara
Mira
9780778317081, $14.99

In the Elantra Empire having completed her dangerous mission as a harmoniste in the West March (see Cast in Sorrow) Kaylin March returns home to no apartment. Just before she journeyed with Lord Nightshade and the Baroni into the West March, someone destroyed her efficiency apartment she shared with the only known female dragon Bellusdeo and an egg (see Cast In Peril). Accompanied by two Baroni and her roommates, she resides in the Imperial Palace. However, dragon gossip and fighting drive her crazy so in spite of the emperor's concerns for Bellusdeo's safety and assassins targeting them, Kaylin seeks a quieter address.

Apartment hunting is put on hold when Teela asks Kaylin to come to the castle where a domestic dispute between the Nightshade brothers threatens everyone's safety. Compounding the potentially lethal sibling rivalry is the awakening of dormant magic.

The tenth Chronicles of Elantra fantasy returns to its thematic roots (see Cast in Fury with its cautionary re de facto racism cautionary message) with a strong look at people's need for identity as a major part of social belongingness. Loaded with action, series fans will appreciate Michelle Sagara's skill to enhance her tense superb storyline with perceptiveness into characters' motivations.

The Oleander Sisters
Elaine Hussey
Mira
9780778316435, $14.99

In 1969 Biloxi, ashamed by having a child out of wedlock, Emily plans to marry Larry so that her illegitimate son Andy has a dad; the biological father Mark died in Viet Nam. Emily's "Sis" senses something not right with her sister's fiance and distrusts him as a husband and father, but cannot prove her intuitiveness that her sibling is making a big mistake. As she works hard helping her grandma at the family owned and run Sweet Mama's Cafe, Sis resolutely plans to be there for Emily.

Their brother Jim returns from having served in Nam, but is not the same person he was before his military stint. Instead he is emotionally damaged suffering from severe battle fatigue. As always when it comes to her family Sis resolutely helps Jim as he struggles to readjust to being a civilian. As Hurricane Camille devastates the Gulf, Sis learns family secrets; which leads her to ponder what she wants with her life beyond caring and protecting her beloved kin.

The Oleander Sisters is a reflective historical family drama that focuses on roles in relationships during an era of social upheaval symbolized by Camille storming a person's self-worth comfort zone. Character driven especially by the title protagonists, readers will cheer for Sis to become more than just everyone's protector with a dash in her title and Emily to face difficulty with courage. Although the storyline goes as expected (except perhaps Andy's youthful endeavor culminating with a moon pie named for him), this is a magnificent Mississippi tale.

The Promise
Robyn Carr
Mira
9780778316206, $7.99

Peyton Lacoumette arrives in Thunder Point, Oregon to check out the town and its solo doctor Scott Grant as she decides whether to apply for the Physician's assistant vacancy. She chats with Devon McAllister (see The Hero) who after learning why Peyton stopped amusingly calls her Miss Sneaky Pants. Clearly overqualified with experience in Portland and elsewhere, Grant hires her on a three month trial expecting her to leave.

Peyton and Scott are attracted to each other, but both hesitate to act on their mutually-shared feelings. She suffered heartbreak from a lover with kids; while he struggles with the loss of his wife and as a single dad he knows his two small children (Penny and Will) come first. However, love proves difficult to ignore.

The fifth Thunder Point leisurely-paced relationship drama is an engaging second chance at life drama though the respective reasons for inertia have been used often. The entertaining warm romance is enhanced by the continuation of those from the previous entries (see The Chance, The Newcomer and The Wanderer).

Talking After Midnight
Dakota Cassidy
Mira
9780778316312, $7.99

"Talking After Midnight." In Plum Orchard, Georgia Marybell Lyman works as a phone- sex operator at Call Girls. She has the voice for seducing men though many of her customers would be shocked by her Goth look enhanced by biting sarcasm. Contractor Taggart Hawthorn is attracted to Marybell. His attention scares her as he persistently asks her out and she persistently says no. Though she likes him and his obvious desire turns her on, Marybell fears once he knows her dark secret, his love will die. When she finally finds the courage to tell Tag, Marybell is too late as a cruel person tells him the truth about his beloved

"Talk This Way." In Atlanta Catherine Butler never takes a respite as she works at any job she can get in order to pay for her cancer-stricken mom residency at the Oakdale Nursing Home. Cat loses her job at a coffee shop due to an exchange with annoying Flynn McGrady whose mom also is at Oakdale. However, Landon, who was a resident at Oakdale where Cat met him, offers her the position of managing his phone-sex company in his penthouse. She accepts unaware that Flynn lives in this building too.

Talking After Midnight is an engaging Plum Orchard entry (see Talk Dirty To Me and Something to Talk About) with two "outsiders" falling in love while the phone-sex crowd continues to provide culture shock to the rural residents. Talk This Way is the print version of a delightful e-novella that introduces readers to Landon who in death shook the complacent conservative town when he willed his thriving business to relocate there.

Elisha Magus
E.C. Ambrose
Daw Books, Inc.
c/o Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.dawbooks.com
9780756409265, $24.95, www.amazon.com

In fourteenth century England, Elisha Barber has become the most feared magus in the kingdom after he committed regicide using magic (see Elisha Barber); the aristocrats and other powerful entities either want his support or his death. Currently the Duke Randall, whose wife is a mage, gives Elisha shelter. In spite of Prince Alaric's affront to his daughter Rosalynn by choosing Brigit the mage to be his bride, Randall supports him to replace the late King Hugh as the next ruler before the French invade what they perceive a weak neighbor.

After a dance with Rosalynn, Elisha is asked by the duke to marry his daughter. The commoner says no, but agrees to escort her to a convent, which also will enable him to try to retrieve the talisman Brigit took from him. Before he leaves, Elisha is unable to prevent the murder of a French mage in which Barber was the intended target. On what proves to be a dangerous trek with enemies everywhere, Elisha rescues a strange female and befriends Alaric's outlawed brother Prince Thomas the traitor.

The second Dark Apostle medieval fantasy is an exciting fourteenth century thriller due to a terrific ethical hero trying to save lives, but considered dangerous and heretical for his medical practices and for slaying the king. The key to this strong saga is the grim English background that makes the magic and its classes of practitioners seem genuine while also containing a flicker of enlightenment when compared to the implications of the Papal-French monarchy pact. E.C. Ambrose provides another powerful extremely dark historical fantasy with a great final spin.

Shattering the Ley
Joshua Palmatier
Daw Books, Inc.
c/o Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.dawbooks.com
9780756409197, $25.95, www.amazon.com

The complex ley system is the major source of power for much of the world. Because the prime ley lines connect in Erenthrall, this city is an energy superpower. The Prime Wielders control the Nexus, but in turn the Baron owns them and by consequence all the lands linked to this key convergence. However, the tyrannical abuse of the ley system has caused a schism led by Kormanley priests who plot to destroy the Nexus even knowing that places the innocent way beyond just the city at risk.

As civil war seems imminent and blackouts the norm, Kara Tremain, who became a top gun Wielder when she was twelve years old, enables her to learn the taboo truth about the ley lines magic. At the same time Baron Dog Alan Garrett in his hunt for the rebellious priests also loathes the unreasonable viciousness of his guard peers towards the innocent and soon learns the Inconvenient Truth re Erenthrall, a city on the brink of mass destruction.

This is a great opening act as Joshua Palmatier creates an intriguing world that deploys magic as the key source of energy. Using the ideological global warming debate (to include ambitious political deniers and militant willing to die environmentalists) as the starting premise, Shattering the Ley is a strong timely cautionary fantasy.

Terminal Life: A Suited Hero
Richard Torregrossa
Oceanview Publishing
595 Bay Isles Road, 120-G, Longboat Key, FL 34228
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608091201, $26.95, www.amazon.com

SEAL Luke Stark was in Afghanistan on his second tour when he learned that his wife Crissy was shot in the face during a robbery and their young son Jack is missing. He suffered a breakdown and given a medical discharge while treated as an inpatient at a VA hospital. As Luke begins to regain his senses, he leaves the facility with plans to visit Uncle Paulie in Brooklyn to learn who killed his spouse and find Jack. However, Luke is running out of time as he also suffers from Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Dissed by a receptionist, he slices her throat with a MetroCard and as he leaves two crippled security guards. He has begun his quest to avenge his family. Thinking he can get rid of one of this family punk annoying him, Uncle Paulie promises Luke answers and cash if he takes out the invincible chemist Mark Fister. Dressed in sartorial splendor, ":The Suited Hero" enlists his Naval pal Suggs to join him and they leave behind a path of destruction as even gangbangers learn the hard way, anyone in Luke's way, innocent or not, suffers or dies.

Not for everyone, Terminal Life is a gory violent urban thriller starring a fascinatingly macabre protagonist who refuses to accept sh*t from anyone in his search for his son. Part of the fun comes from iconic pop names and references like Uncle Paulie, Luke and Laura, and Bond trivia, etc. sprinkled throughout the engaging storyline.

Elective Procedures
Merry Jones
Oceanview Publishing
595 Bay Isles Road, 120-G, Longboat Key, FL 34228
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608091164, $26.95, www.amazon.com

Four American friends travel to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico where one of them Jen plans to have elective surgery. However, another member of the foursome, Elle fails to save next door Claudia from falling from the posh hotel's sixth floor balcony to her death. Police Sergeant Perez suspects Elle may have pushed the victim; while her three amigas (Jen, Becky and Sue) rally around her.

When the unknown killer slices up another female guest Inez in what looks like a crime of angry passion in that same room, Elle fears more will follow. As she still struggles with her late husband's appearances, Elle feels distracted by Dr. Du Bois and an inability to "see" the killer who targets her.

The second Elle Harrison paranormal amateur sleuth (see The Trouble with Charlie) is an enjoyable whodunit as the Mexican vacation proves strenuous and perilous for the heroine and her BFFs. The fast-paced investigative storyline delivers mostly because Elle deals poorly with identifying and dodging a determined killer, caring bickering friends, suspicious (of her) cops, unwanted visiting ghosts, and an unsure romance.

Sisters Of Treason
Elizabeth Fremantle
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781476703091, $25.99, www.amazon.com

In 1553, teenage Jane Grey became Queen of England with the death of King Edward VI, who selected her as his successor instead of his Catholic sister Mary. Nine days later, Mary overthrows Queen Jane and locks her in the Tower. In 1554 Queen Mary beheads Jane.

Jane's worried mother Frances rusticates since her two living daughters (Katherine and Mary) have legitimate claims to the English throne; but neither daughter pursues it out of fear of being publicly executed by bloody Queen Mary. Instead each is cautious at court though flirty Katherine less so. Meanwhile royal painter Levina Teerlinc tries to guide the sisters from stepping into an unintended brouhaha. When Elizabeth replaces her late sister on the throne, the Grey siblings feel safer to follow love, but fail to comprehend their monarch's wrath for not obtaining her approval.

The latest Elizabeth Fremantle's Tudor biographical fiction (see Queen's Gambit) brings an intriguing freshness through the cautious eyes of the late Lady Jane Grey's two younger sisters and the artist trying to help them keep their heads. Rotating perspective between the siblings and the painter, subgenre readers will gain much pleasure from this strong look at an era of cutthroat female power. A bibliography is included, of which I suggest The Sisters Who Would Be Queen by Leanda de Lisle (in fairness the only one I read) for those seeking nonfiction insight.

Wayfaring Stranger
James Lee Burke
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781476710792, $27.95, www.amazon.com

In 1934 at his Grandfather Hackberry Holland's East Texas ranch teenager Weldon Avery Holland meets Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and two other people just after the bank robbers flee from their latest armed theft. Their encounter ends with Holland attracted to Bonnie and his shooting at the four thieves driving away in their stolen vehicle.

A decade later at the Battle of the Bulge US Army Second Lieutenant Weldon Holland and Sergeant Hershel Pine are trapped behind enemy lines. They survive and find Spanish resistance soldier Rosita Lowenstein hiding in an abandoned extermination plant. When the war ends, Weldon and Lowenstein marry. They and Hershel return home to Texas where they open up Dixie Belle Pipeline Company based on Nazi technology and the latter weds Linda Gail. However, not all is smooth as unscrupulous investors using any means including amoral and illegal endeavors at their disposal want to control the successful firm and anti-Semites mount a malicious campaign to destroy Rosita.

Wayfaring Stranger is a superb mid-twentieth century historical that looks deeply at the ugly rapacious side of capitalism during an era of innocence in spite of the Depression and WWII; and realism that money flows up and sh*t trickles down. Character driven by a strong cast, readers will root for ethical Weldon as he and his loved ones confront morally-challenged marauders who hide behind laws that they established to enhance their money begets money avarice; summed up by Jesse Ventura when he was a wrestler: "Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!"

To Kill A Matzo Ball
Delia Rosen
Kensington
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9780758282019, $7.99, www.amazon.com

In Nashville, Gwen Katz consults with client martial arts teacher Ken Chan on a menu to honor his students following a belt test. Shots are fired into Murray's Pastrami Swami leaving Ken dead, but not before he protected Gwen with his body; no one else inside the deli was badly hurt though all are shook up. A former New Yorker, Gwen tells NPD that Ken also came from the Big Apple, but left Manhattan's Chinatown after Triad gang threats.

NPD reports the crime to the FBI who joins the investigation. However, increasingly the murderous drive-by shooting begins to look as if the intended victim was not the black belt instructor but the "Nashville Katz". Not one to sit around and wait for a second assault, Gwen begins her own inquiry.

The latest Deadly Deli Mystery is an engaging twisting whodunit as the amateur sleuth competes with several levels of law enforcement. As always with this entertaining series (see From Herring to Eternity, A Killer in the Rye, One Foot in the Gravy and A Brisket, A Casket), the fun comes from the culture clash of New York shtick in the heart of Music City more so than the good mystery and enhanced by mouthwatering food that has me craving for pastrami and a knish at The Kosher Gourmet on Atlanta's Northside.

The Doppler Affect
Dr. Shawn Phillips
YBCoyote Press
9780982644607, $13.99, www.ybcoyotepress.com

In North Africa 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens tribal chief Mulac leads the successful hunting party home only to find those waiting for them all dead. Raging, they track the vicious killers who murdered their loved ones. When they catch up, they retaliate massacring all except one female. Mulac rapes her until she changes into him before killing him and the other men from his tribe. This Homo erectus female has evolved into shapeshifting Homo adaptus as she gives birth to dozens of babies who within a month have grown to adulthood. Over the millennium as Homo adaptus changed into different races, they remained concealed from their natural enemy humanity. DNA testing changed the balance of power forcing the hidden species to deploy a plan to gain power rather than extinction.

In 1990, former banker turned convict Chris Sands learned the horrific truth too late for him to save his soul from the doppelgangers, who brilliantly framed him as he fights to the death in prison. The Prima Maestra believes her minion found the information the dead Sands compiled about the dopplers, but he left behind a children's book for his son Michael to hopefully one day in the future understand and save mankind from its diabolical enemy.

The Doppler Affect is a fantastic paranormal thriller that never slows down as the Sands family (and readers) meet different supernatural species. Although appreciative fans will need to adapt (no pun intended) to the changing timeline; once we do, this fast-paced with clever plots and counterplots grips the audience throughout. Dr. Shawn Phillips cleverly deploys the Doppler Effect principle on human sensory reaction to the effect of dopplers residing like wolves in sheep clothing.

Heaven Sent Rain
Lauraine Snelling
Faith Words
c/o Hachette Publishing Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780892969135, $15.00, www.amazon.com

Food for Life CEO Dr. Dinah Taylor notices the boy and his dog outside of Extraburger, but ignores him the first time she sees him. When she sees him again outside Extraburger during a cold mist, she buys him a sandwich. A polite Jonah thanks her before he and Downmutt walk to school.

Upset Jonah calls Dinah late at night begging her to help injured Downmutt. Dinah drops everything to take the dog to emergency veterinarian Dr. Garret Miller. The vet and the youthful pet owner are instant buddies, but Garret seems to find the CEO repugnant and she reciprocates his dislike. However, as health crises impact love ones and Dinah's diabetes breakthrough faces political pressure fostered by big Pharma, the two adults, already adoring their young matchmaker, fall in love.

This is a fantastic inspirational romance as readers will be hooked early on by the little boy and his dog standing in the rain. Garret and Dinah are flawed individuals and Jonah has issues; while the changing relationships make for a wonderful contemporary drama.

Atonement of Blood
Peter Tremayne
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250046000, $26.99, www.amazon.com

In 670 AD at Cashel, to honor the blessed Colman mac Lenine, Muman King Colgu hosts a gala. Among those attending are his sister dalaigh law courts advocate Fidelma and her husband Brother Eadulf. The couple plan to spend quality time with their son Alchu who resides at his uncle's castle while his parents traveled to conduct investigations.

During the feast, a religieux guest Brother Lennan of Mungairit Abbey fervently screams "Remember Liamuin" as he stabs the monarch in the chest before killing brave Brehan Aedo who jumped between the assassin and the ruler. Commander of the King's Bodyguard Caol kills the murderer. As gravely injured Colgu fights for his life, Fidelma investigates the attempted regicide and homicide. Her only useful clues from the deadly gala are the fanatic's final reiterated diatribe and the abbey located inside of rebellious Ui Fidgente; where many oppose the merging of the Five Kingdoms under Colgu.

The 24th Mystery of Ancient Ireland Sister Fidelma mystery (see The Seventh Trumpet and Behold a Pale Horse) is a fascinating whodunit as the sleuthing couple risks their lives to follow the clues into hostile territory. Fidelma is at her best interviewing, watching and drawing conclusions that a seditious conspiracy threatens the Five-Kingdom alliance; while also praying for her sibling.

Taken
Lora Leigh
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250045454, $14.99, www.amazon.com

"Reno's Chance." Raven loves her best friend Morganna's brother, but Reno treats her like another sister. With Reno on leave, Raven decides this is the time to show him what she wants.

"For Maggie's Sake." Grant fooled his wife Maggie and his SEAL friend Joe as part of the vicious Fuentes gang. Joe believes Maggie who he loved but lost to Grant somehow is involved with this dangerous drug lord. He reassesses his belief when his Maggie is abducted.

"Atlanta Heat." Mason and Emerson are attracted to each other, but he refuses to act on his desire out of fear her godfather Admiral Holloran would fry certain body parts he cherishes. A failed kidnapping brings the pair's feelings out into the open.

"Night Hawk." For three years Elite Ops agents "Black Jack" and "Night Hawk" have met clandestinely sharing no personal information. This night is their last time together.

"Cooper's Fall." Former army ranger Ethan has the biggest boner of his life when he stares out his window like a pervert seeing virginal Sarah naked (except for nipple rings) masturbating; unaware he is the star of her sexual fantasies.

"Sheila's Passion." Nick saw a lot of crap while in combat as a marine. Out of the service, Nick loves Sheila, but believes she sees him as a pal after being hurt recently by a former boyfriend. Sheila wants Nick to admit he passionately loves her. The dynamics change when an adversary threatens Sheila.

These six reprinted erotica tales star "Real Men" (from Lora Leigh's series) and females proving to be their equals. Though the plots are thin, The Heat Is On (Glenn Frey) every page.

Sight Unseen
Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen
St. Martin's
9781250020529, $27.99

In the greater San Diego area, a serial killer has murdered at least six people in the last month and half. Autopsies revealed that each of the bodies contained the same unidentified substance. After investigator Jeff Stedler vanishes, the FBI consults with music therapist Dr. Kendra Michaels, who has been very helpful on other difficult cases due to her extraordinary sensory skills; she was born blind so honed her four other senses to an exceptional level though surgery at twenty gave her sight.

Kendra soon realizes she has a psychopathic fan whose killings pay homage to her most famous cases; but also fears she knows the culprit. This "artist" rejoices that the cherished role model has joined the investigation as this killer plots for the student to surpass the teacher by murdering her.

The second Kendra Michaels FBI procedural (see Close Your Eyes) is a fabulous whodunit starring an in your face abrasive Shirley Holmes with skills mindful of Daredevil and tact mindful of a raging Wolverine. The key support cast is fully developed especially her teammate (very loose definition) Adam Lynch and the killer as team Johansen provides a tense suspense.

The Wickedest Lord Alive
Christina Brooke
St. Martin's Paperbacks
9781250029362, $7.99

Marquis Xavier Westruther enters the dark room offering his new wife escape as neither wanted this marriage. Lady Alexandria says they should consummate and they do. As he leaves, he vows to leave his marchioness alone as she deserves better than a rogue like him paying off his mother's debt to her father by marrying her. Not long afterward, confused by her husband's actions especially disappearing on their wedding night, Lady Alexandra vanishes too.

Eight years later, Xavier arrives in Little Thurston where his wife pretends to be amnesiac Lizzie Allbright, who lives with the kind parson and helps those in need. Infamous as the Notorious Bachelor, Xavier explains to Alexandria he needs an heir or his avarice family will take control of a fortune. Alexandria prefers he leaves the village except when he kisses her. As they fall in love, his mother arrives in this sleepy hollow.

The third Westruthers' Regency romance (see London's Last True Scoundrel and The Greatest Lover Ever) is an engaging historical. Christina Brooke provides her fans with a wonderful second chance at love (though the first chance ended in premature rejection) starring two stubborn protagonists whose relationship never began.

With This Ring
Celeste Bradley
St. Martin's Paperbacks
9781250016140, $7.99

In 1818, Lady Elektra Worthington obsesses with a deep desire to restore her family estate to its once glorious past. However that means money, which her impoverish clan lacks. Her only commodities are her beauty and her Worthington eccentricity to do whatever oddity it takes regardless of what outsiders think.

After a decade in exile in the Bahamas due to a scandal he did not cause but took the hit, Lord Aaron Arbogast heads to his grandfather's estate in a storm; he hopes to prove to the family patriarch that he is worthy of being the Earl. During the trek Aaron exchanges coats with his manservant Hastings to give his ailing companion a warmer outerwear. They reach an inn where Elektra waited for his arrival. She kidnaps him, but Aaron insists he is not the aristocrat but instead the servant Hastings. Chagrined over her plan's failure, Elektra and Aaron travel to London. While on the road, they fall in love, but he must decide between the zany female he adores and his grandfather's demands.

The latest Worthington family madcap Regency frolic (see And Then Comes Marriage and When She Said I Do) is a humorous screwball comedic romance, as Aaron plays the straight man to wonderfully wacky Elektra. Readers will enjoy the inane yet entertaining and amusing abduction (of his heart).

Born Of Fury
Sherrilyn Kenyon
St. Martin's
9781250042965, $25.99

The war between the League and the Sentella Empire forces nonaligned groups to ally with one of the sides or face worse impact as neutrality means annihilation. League Commander Zemin shows a tape of a prison rescue to top assassin Sumi Antaxas; and insists that one of the perpetrators is Dancer Hauk though the evidence is unclear. Zemin orders Sumi to find or create proof that Hauk is a traitor or her daughter Kalea, held hostage by him, will suffer the consequences.

Over the rage of his widow sister-in-law who loathes him for the death of her husband, Hauk takes his nephew Darice on his Endurance test; also with them in the remote area for the same reason is his friend's daughter Thia. When Sumi and Hauk meet, she is shocked by his caring nature towards the two young charges he mentors; as she expected a violent barbarian. As admiration intensifies, Sumi feels torn between the two people she loves as one will be hurt by her choice and she assumes other hit contracts have been issued.

The latest League thriller (see Born Of Ice, Born Of Fire and Born Of Night) is an exciting entry that focuses on the anchoring impact of family (many of whom make unneeded but fascinating appearances) on two emotionally hurting souls. Readers will quickly accept Sumi as Hauk's equal while each struggles, perhaps more so mentally than physically (even with injuries), with threats to loved ones. Fans will appreciate Sherrilyn Kenyon's terrific tale.

In The Mood For Love
Beth Ciotta
St. Martin's Paperbacks
9781250001351, $7.99

In Sugar Creek, Vermont, residents establish a betting pool on when widowed single dad of two small children Sam McCloud will have a woman in his celibate life. In fact, if anyone wagered on the recent past they would have won because Sam and recent Los Angeles emigrant public relations expert Harper Day have enjoyed a fling that each insists is sexual only.

Seeking mental asylum after barely surviving the spa killing and to avoid the rage of her beloved deceased Andrew Wilson's irate father, Harper fled Southern California relocating to the opposite side of the country. Suffering from PTSD, she likes and may even love Sam, but knows she is not mother material especially now though she needs a husband to remain in the States. Sam is attracted to the PR guru, but his kids come first.

The latest Cupcake Lovers Green Mountain State romance (see Fool for Love, The Trouble with Love and Anything but Love) is an appealing contemporary as the protagonists' respective pasts preclude a long term relationship though love challenges their shared belief. Beth Ciotta provides her fans with an engaging maple sweet second chance at love.

Chains Of Darkness
Caris Roane
St. Martin's Paperbacks
9781250035301, $7.99

Two years ago, vampires kidnapped Claire Turner and her friend Zoey. They were sold as slaves, but Rumy the vampire rescued Claire. They cut a deal in which he will search for Zoey if she rescues Lucian; held captive by Daniel the ancient vampire in the Himalayas.

Though she doubts a social worker from New Mexico can waltz into a master vampire's cavern at the top of the world without becoming the evil's slave, Claire uses her unique skill to try. She also hopes the blood-chain she establishes with Lucian will enable her to free him and perhaps together destroy Daniel before he fully deploys his plans for both species using his children and their blood-chained humans as expendable pawns.

This Dark Men in Chains romantic fantasy (see Born In Chains) is a taut thriller starring two interesting leads suffering from doubts re their respective skills to challenge his father Daniel and where their relationship goes if they survive. Though events go too smoothly for the protagonists opposing a near invincible ruthless foe, readers will relish this wonderful entry.

Bloodshifted
Cassie Alexander
St. Martin's Paperbacks
9781250037954, $7.99

Lovers Dr. Asher the shapeshifter and Nurse Edie Spence left County Hospital's secret Y4 ward for paranormal patients on the Maraschino cruise ship bound for Hawaii. However, a maniac released an infectious disease that killed most humans on board. Pregnant Edie survived by drinking vampire blood that turned her into a daytimer. The price Edie pays is that Raven the vampire whose blood saved her and her unborn owns her (see Deadshifted).

Forced to separate from beloved Asher, Edie, like her lover, struggles to find a cure that will liberate her from the vampire's control or endure eight months protecting her son in hell. Instead her Master Vampire Raven abducts the nurse and takes her underneath the Catacombs night club known for serving fresh blood cocktails.

The final Edie Spence paranormal (see Moonshifted, Nightshifted and Shapeshifted) is an exciting thriller that starts at hyperspeed and never slows down. For the most part, the bloody exhilarating focus is on the beleaguered heroine's efforts for her and her son to endure as she envisions the afterward as a family with her son and Asher (mindful of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl's incredible memoir Man's Search for Meaning).

The Mystery Of The Milton Manuscript
Barry M. Libin
Urim Publications
c/o Lambda Publishers
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.urimpublications.com
9789655241587, $24.95, www.amazon.com

The senseless death of his Hertford College, Oxford thesis advisor Thornton Livingston leaves American Ph.D. candidate Keith Jessup stunned. Keith was in attendance to hear the late Early English Literature department Chair provide a lecture, "Secrets of the Milton Manuscript" based on a recently discovered document that explained the great poet's underlying reason for writing Paradise Lost. Now at the morgue the grieving student identifies the corpse who fell from a cliff. A security guard also was killed; a B&E occurred at the professor's office; and his lecture missing. Adding to the student's shock is he inherited Thornton's estate.

A few months later, now Dr. Jessup is back in New York when Columbia University Professor Stanton disappears just before presenting "The Disclosure of the Milton Manuscript" lecture. As Keith continues to search for the missing document, threats to him and his girlfriend art restorer Joanne Farnsworth rise.

This is a fabulous mystery that is at its best with the deep look into Milton, his beliefs, his era and his masterpieces. The murders of scholars and the assaults on the present day hero add action and suspense, but also detract from the incredible captivating depth into the life and times of John Milton.

In The Field Of Grace
Tessa Afshar
River North
c/o Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610
www.moody.edu
9780802410979, $14.99, www.amazon.com

Her family scorns Ruth as the Great Disappointment because they needed a son not another female, much taller than her father; her four older sisters and her parents would not miss her and prefer she leave. In the marketplace of Kir-hareseth, Ruth the Moabite meets widow Naomi of Bethlehem who complements her beauty including her height and her kindness. Naomi's two sons (Mahlon and Chilion) bring home from the field Orpah where they meet reticent Ruth. Not long afterward, Ruth and Mahlon, and Orpah and Chilion wed. Due to a famine, they decide to head back to Judah, but the two men die. Naomi tells her widow daughters-in-law they should go home; Orpah does but Ruth vows to stay with the older woman to keep her safe.

In Judah Ruth works the field of widower Boaz who still misses his late wife Judith though she died five years ago. Boaz protects the chosen daughter of his cousin from those who consider her an inferior Moabite, but increasingly his attraction to hardworking Ruth grows.

This is a pleasurable rendition of the biblical tale of Ruth that provides a remarkable backstory of her life in Moab as a doormat unable to accept complements. However; that fascinating premise proves a double edged sword as it adds perceptiveness, but also subtracts from her unselfish decision as the crap she receives is no worse than what she took as a child from her family. Still biblical fiction fans will delight in Tessa Afshar's wonderful portrayal of Ruth toiling with grace and faith in a field where most detest her being a foreigner.

The Litter of the Law
Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown
Bantam Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com
9780345530486, $26.00, www.amazon.com

Leaving their home in Crozet, Virginia, Mary Minor Harry Haristeen and her husband "Fair" the veterinarian cruise the back roads of rustic central Virginia. Along for the ride are tiger cat Mrs. Murphy, her obese feline sidekick Pewter, and Tucker the corgi. When the three backseat drivers get into a spat, the humans pull over to the side of the road of a cornfield to end the breaking of the peace fracas. They notice crows feasting on a nearby scarecrow instead of avoiding it. On a closer look, they find out the reason why as the scarecrow is a real corpse.

The humans contact Sheriff Rick Shaw who arrives with Deputy Cynthia Cooper. The victim is accountant Joshua Hill, Virginia Tech grad class of 98. Harry and her longtime friend Susan Tucker find the body of a farmer Hester Martin who was listed on Hill's office computer. Harry and her crew investigate the homicides with reluctant help from Cooper. They learn the two deceased were involved with the Upper Mattaponi tribe and that the Commonwealth's Native American history in many cases has been officially deleted (by the Feds) leading to property rights claims ignored.

The 21st Mrs. Murphy anthropomorphist mystery (see The Big Cat Nap and Santa Clawed) is a pleasant whodunit with a powerful spotlight on Native American rights (or lack of) that will send the audience to the net to look up tribes like the Upper Mattaponi who have a homepage. With her posse and other four legged amateur sleuths working the case alongside Harry, readers will appreciate this captivating Crozet Halloween cozy.

The Splintered Paddle
Mark Troy
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432828592, $25.95, www.amazon.com

When Ava Rome was a young teen her Master Sergeant father apparently went AWOL and never returned. Not long after his desertion, her younger brother died in a bullying incident. Though the years have passed and she became an MP, both horrific incidents still haunt Ava especially the nightmares that disturbs her sleep and an obsession to help the most defenseless.

While in the army, Ava arrested Norman Traxler for assaulting a hooker. As Traxler served time in San Quentin, he had one motive: destroy Ava Rome for destroying his life. Out of prison, Traxler knows that his target works as a private eye in Hawaii. Working two cases, Ava seeks evidence that corrupt police officer Ron Never harasses prostitute Jenny Mordan and searches for runaway teen Cassie Sands who is residing with marijuana farmer Alvie Wong. At the same time Traxler begins his campaign to assault Ava's friends and those she protects like Morden and Sands before he goes after the main course. Fate hammers Ava as Nevez works the Traxler case.

The second Ava Rome mystery (see The Rules) is an extremely dark tense tale starring a heroine who believes in the law of The Splintered Paddle that requires keeping safe the vulnerable even when they inanely rush into harm's way. Readers, who have the stomach for realistic, explicit violence, will take delight in Rome's tour of the sleazy side of the "Paradise of the Pacific".

Hot Intent
Cindy Dees
Harlequin HQN
c/o Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
www.harlequin.ca
9780373778898, $7.99, www.amazon.com

Kindergarten teacher Katie McCloud joined Doctors Unlimited as a translator in war torn Zaghastan where she assisted Dr. Alex Peters with providing medical help to pregnant women. When danger arrived, Alex deployed skills no geek possesses and managed to get them back to the States along with newborn Dawn whom Katie delivered and carried home with her; though America's illusion of haven proved false (see Close Pursuit).

While Alex was away for a year in training, his CIA handler Andre Fortinay warned Katie to have no expectations with her lover. When Alex finally arrives at their DC home, Katie welcomes him back as her hero. Soon afterward, Katie and Alex travel to Cuba to help hurricane victims. However, his espionage past catches up to the two lovers. When the CIA orders him to dump the woman he loves, Alex must choose between his heart which shouts he belongs with Katie and Dawn; and his training and tortured past which insist eliminate mission threats especially vulnerabilities like Katie and Dawn.

The latest Doctors Unlimited romantic suspense is a thrilling sequel starring a haunted hero who seems capable of doing anything except love, and a spunky female who refuses to quit on her anguished man. Although lacking the unique profoundness of a war torn Zaghastan village (see Close Pursuit), the depth into Alex's abnormal mental state filled with rage hooks the audience. Readers wonder throughout whether Alex will allow his two beloveds to become expendable pawns; as the pressure from the CIA and his paternal Russian family amplifies with each side agreeing on one thing in the international game of deadly intrigue: dump the female albatrosses.

No Strings Attached
Susan Anderson
Harlequin HQN
9780373778874, $7.99

Seven years ago on Andros Island, Bahamas, Tasha Riordan and Diego shared a terrific tryst. He told her he had to meet his boss but asked her to delay her flight home from Nassau for another day of sex, which she did as this trip was the highlight of her life. A few hours later, Drug Enforcement Unit Inspector Rolle arrested Tasha for possession with the intent to sell as these next two days prove the lowlight of her life.

In Razor Bay, Washington, running late for a going away party thrown for Gina, Bella T's pizzeria owner Tasha enters the room only to see Diego "NoLastName" sitting at the table with the guest of honor's daughter Harper and Max (see Some Like It Hot). Stunned she drops the food and wine she brought to the gala. Max's brother Luc Bradshaw remembers his time with Tasha in the Bahamas as his greatest memory though he regretted leaving her behind due to a DEA undercover mission. Now he wants a second chance but needs to know what happened because he believes she left him to go home on her scheduled flight; though she still wants him, she distrusts the man who left her lingering terrorized with fear in that hellhole Bahamian jail.

Putting aside the odds, the third Razor Bay Bradshaw brothers' contemporary (see That Thing Called Love) is a diverting second chance drama in which "...the truth will set you free", but in this case probably alone. Luc and Tasha make for a fun romance as trust died in the Bahamas crippling their love.

Riding Home
Vicki Lewis Thompson
Harlequin Blaze
9780373798117, $5.50

Filled with guilt over cheating on her then fiance Regan O'Connelli (Riding High) with his veterinary partner Drake Brewster (see Riding Hard), Jeannette Trenton follows the pair to Shoshone in the Jackson Hole area of Wyoming to atone for her transgression. She hopes everyone at Last Chance gives her a chance to prove she is more than a Jezebel who admits she made a terrible mistake, but Jeannette also sees the stares paint her as an amoral loose woman.

When Jeannette and cowboy Zach Powell meet, each feels a deep attraction. Though filled with remorse, she no longer wants forgiveness from her former fiance, her lover or the Chance extended family except for Zach. As the fallen female and the former attorney turned cowhand fall in love, Jeannette remains under the microscope of condemnation, but no longer cares how others feel about her except for her Zach.

The latest Sons of Chance romance is a brisk Wyoming ranch contemporary. Although Drake had an easier path to local acceptance than Jeannette faces (sexism rides high and hard), this likable entry is the best of the Virginia triangle trilogy.

Dare Me
Jo Leigh
Harlequin Blaze
9780373798124, $5.50

In New York City, wine connoisseur Molly Grainger has no time to foster a normal long-term relationship as she works diligently long hours to be the best at her vocation. Thus she has no one to escort her to critical events in which she knows she would be more acceptable with a hunk on her arm if she is to make it. Molly turns to the underground Trading Card dating service for a companion; she selects brew master Cameron Crawford.

They agree to a dinner date, but instead of a one night as each advocate, Cameron and Molly begin seeing each other. As they fall in love, neither is comfortable with their feelings as both fears a committed relationship will interfere with each of their particular occupations and devastate their single regiment that enhances their respective profession.

The latest It's Trading Men (see Seduce Me, Choose Me, Have Me and Want Me) romance is a delightful contemporary as the amiable protagonists dread the L word. Although the premise is not new Jo Leigh brews a splendid Manhattan love story.

Blood Ties In Chef Voleur
Mallory Kane
Harlequin Intrigue
9780373697816, $5.50

Four older brothers assisted by male cousins suffocate Cara Lynn Delancey with their testosterone fueled protectiveness. So when Jack Bush courted her and offered her love, she eloped with him.

One month later, Jack is elated as the first stage of his mission proved successful when he married Cara Lynn to get easy entrance to the Delancey clan. His objective is to complete his late grandfather Armand Broussard's dying request: "Clear My Name." Two decades ago, Armand was convicted of murdering his employer Cara Lynn's grandfather Con Delancey; the convict went to his grave insisting he was innocent and his grandson believes him. Jack's plan works perfect except for one minor problem: he loves his wife.

The latest Delancey Dynasty romantic suspense (see Sanctuary In Chef Voleur) is a superb thriller with what happened between the late grandfathers serving as a most likely match-breaker. A fast-paced mystery as much as a relationship drama built on a foundation of lies, Mallory Kane provides a tense tale as two descendants twenty years after the murder of Con Delancey allegedly by convicted Armand Broussard fall in love.

From Maverick To Daddy
Teresa Southwick
Harlequin Special Edition
9780373658299, $5.50

In Rust Creek Falls, Montana, rancher Caleb Dalton visits his lawyer dad Ben to take him out for a beer at Ace in the Hole; only the eight years old Asian "receptionist" insists he wait since he has no appointment. Ben's paralegal Mallory Franklin comes into the waiting room and apologizes for her orphaned niece Lily keeping Caleb waiting to see his dad. Manhattan transfer Mallory and Ben discuss why they have not met before as they obviously travel in different circles. Before the two Dalton males leave, Lily informs Caleb that Mallory needs a husband, preferably a cowboy who can teach her to ride a horse.

As his family welcomes the two females and they are especially kind to Lily, Caleb becomes the little girl's favorite cowboy. As Caleb and Mallory fall in love, he panics over his feelings for the guardian and her waif; but like Mallory accepts Lily's needs come before their desires.

This Montana Mavericks: Twenty Years In The Saddle romance is a warm contemporary starring two people with different needs falling in love. Although Lily is too precocious, her antics make for a pleasant Montana Mavericks Cowboys (see The Maverick's Christmas Homecoming) family drama.

Bridegroom Bodyguard
Lisa Childs
Harlequin Intrigue
9780373697786, $5.50

In the hospital where he was best man at his twin Logan's wedding (see Explosive Engagement), Payne Protection Agency bodyguard Parker Payne knows someone put out a hit on him. He realizes he was fortunate to avoid the explosion that killed two family men PPA operatives in an SUV he was supposed to be in. Logan talks to his in-laws the Kozminskis how to keep his new bride Stacy and his brother Logan safe. Their younger brother Cooper (see Groom Under Fire) cuts short his honeymoon to protect Parker who tells his siblings to leave with their wives in order to keep them away from harm as he is the danger magnet.

Judge Brenda Foster ordered her law clerk Sharon Wells to stay off the grid and keep her nine month old son Ethan safe before she vanished. Two weeks later, Sharon arrives at the hospital to introduce Ethan to his father Parker Payne. Disbelieving Parker becomes concerned when Sharon's car blows up in the parking lot, but DNA proves he is a dad and she informs him who the mom is. He takes Sharon and his son to safety even marrying her to protect her; but that unknown assailant with connections and money seems always to be at least two steps ahead of them.

The latest Shotgun Weddings is a satisfying romantic suspense that hooks readers from the opening hospital scene (that will remind readers of Groucho's cabin in A Night At The Opera) as the extended Payne family rally around the endangered trio. Readers will receive plenty of delight from this action-packed tale with a neat twist as The Bridegroom Bodyguard risks his life to keep his beloved new family safe.

Secret Service Rescue
Elle James
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
9780373278787, $5.50

In Raleigh, Patrick O'Hara demands help from former Vice President Kate Winston to find their missing granddaughter Shelby; who was taken from the Beth City University library two weeks ago. Kate and her three adult sons are stunned while the VP's Secret Service agent Daniel Henderson insures her safety. Patrick explains that Kate gave up their daughter Carrie so he raised her as a single dad. Daniel obtains information from arrested disgraced agent D'Angelis. He and Kate's son RPD officer Thad drive to the house where Shelby is being restrained. Ignoring an inferno, Daniel runs inside and brings Shelby out; he stays with her as his new assignment.

When Shelby learns she will receive 24/7 bodyguards, she refuses until she finds out why she was abducted and why the Feds insist on protecting her with agents. Kate remains in shock because years ago her mom insisted the baby died in childbirth. Assigned to protect Shelby, Daniel struggles to control his unprofessional attraction; Shelby recognizes her hero's reluctance battling his desire as she shares all the same feelings while coping with her new found maternal family.

The latest delightful Adair Legacy romantic suspense (see Special Ops Rendezvous by Karen Anders, Executive Protection by Jennifer Morey and Her Secret, His Duty by Carla Cassidy) is an exciting contemporary that sweetly wraps up the major overarching threads. With a nod to the relationship in the movie the First Daughter (sans comedy), Secret Service Rescue is a well-written fun tale.

Wild Iris Ridge
RaeAnne Thayne
Harlequin HQN
9780373778591, $7.99

After years away, recently unemployed Lucy Drake returns to Hope's Crossing where she inherited her late Great-Aunt Annabelle's Victorian mansion. As she muses no longer working eighteen hour days, Lucy considers converting her home into a B&B, which she thinks means 24 hour days. Lucy also reflects back to why she left town years ago; when she fell in love with Brendan Caine, but he fell in love with her BFF cousin Jess.

Fire chief Brendan hopes Lucy leaves town as his memory of her is unfavorable. A widower single dad for two years, Brendan raises five year old Carter and nine year old Faith; and believes he has enough on his plate rather than have to deal with cold Lucy. She prefers to avoid him as she cannot handle a second rejection from him. When they meet each feels a deep attraction that neither desire.

The latest Hope's Crossing contemporary (see Willowleaf Lane, Blackberry Summer and Woodrose Mountain) is a warm second chance at love family drama. The changing relationship between the lead adults cleverly goes through Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' phases: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Though the acceptance phase seems too abrupt fans will enjoy this warm tale.

Hearts In Vegas
Colleen Collins
Harlequin SuperRomance
9780373608584, $6.75

In Las Vegas, Vanderbilt Insurance assigns agent Frances Jefferies to investigate stolen jewels and antiquities. In spite of a court warning to break no laws after receiving probation for stealing a few years ago, Frances breaks into Fortier's Jewelry to take back a brooch belonging to Lady Melbourne that was stolen a decade ago from an Amsterdam museum.

Dmitri Romanov calls Morgan-Leroy Investigations to speak to security specialist Braxton Morgan. He explains to Brax and his brother Drake (see Sleepless in Las Vegas) that the Russian community is concerned over the arrest and rumors involving Yuri Glazkov who Brax once worked for at the Topaz club. Meanwhile Frances is caught on tape doing the brooch switch; a Russian holding the tape demands she steal the extremely valuable Helena Diamond necklace; which Brax has been hired to prevent. When the two private investigators meet: first comes attraction; then comes danger; third comes love; and last comes trust.

The third Private Eyes in Las Vegas (see The Next Right Thing) is a fabulous romantic mystery as Russian mobsters and a thief inadvertently play matchmakers. Readers will take delight in this twisting tale.

Cop By Her Side
Janice Kay Johnson
Harlequin SuperRomance
9780373608560, $6.75

In Angel Butte, Oregon near hysterical Andrew Wilson tells the police that his wife Melissa and their daughter Brianna are missing. Police Sergeant Clay Renner recognizes the names as Melissa is the sister of police Lieutenant Jane Vahalik who he loves and lost due to his sexist attitude. As Andrew explains, he left his other child Alexis with a neighbor; Clay learns that Lissa was in a car accident in an isolated area that her sister or husband cannot explain why she was there instead of heading home from the Rite Aid.

Clay briefs Jane with the news that that her comatose sister was rushed to ICU and her niece Bree remains missing. As a search party looks for the missing girl, Jane tells Clay that her brother-in-law was unemployed for four months and widening his geographical search for a job over the objection of his wife. With Lissa's phone missing and apparently broken, and no one saw her or the little girl at Rite Aid as reported by Drew, ABPD suspects the husband tried to kill his wife.

The latest Mysteries Of Angel Butte (see Bringing Maddie Home and Everywhere She Goes) is a entertaining twisting romantic police procedural that readers will appreciate as the lead cops know finding Bree takes precedent over their second chance at love. Readers will relish this thriller in which the search for the missing little girl allows the frantic aunt to realize her beloved sexist has her back when he risks disciplinary action by allowing her to work the case with him in spite of her conflict of interest.

Her Irresistible Protector
Michelle Douglas
Harlequin Romance
9780373742967, $5.99

In Sydney, Police Officer Mitch King arrives at Tash Buckley's home to both their chagrin as they have not spoken to one another since they broke up several years ago. He asks her if she recently spoke to Rick Bradford; she responds by accusing him of arresting innocent Rick of crimes she insists he did not commit. He shows her photos of an arson and an attempted murder car crash in which Mitch insists paragon Rick did both and more; and believes this vile man is coming to Sydney targeting Tash next. She refuses to accept the cop's assertion as he always had a negative opinion about her friend.

To protect her, Mitch takes Tash to his beach cabin. Tash is upset with herself for still desiring the hunk who hurt her when he used her to get to Rick; while Mitch knows she is the one, but performing his duty let her get away.

The first Wild Ones tale (see next month's The Rebel and The Heiress for the other duet entry) is an entertaining second chance at love Australian thriller. With this imprint being Harlequin Romance, ironically the twisting taut suspense is much stronger than the romance.

The Sheikh's Son
Kristi Gold
Harlequin Desire
9780373733262, $5.25

In a Chicago hotel lounge, American heiress Piper McAdams thinks her attraction to the handsome stranger is due to her long standing membership in the Unintended Celibacy Club. He joins her at her corner table where she explains she skipped out of a party before meeting the guest of honor Prince Mehdi. Introducing himself as A.J. with no last name and that he is the pilot for a rich family; he insists that Mehdi is the most grounded and handsomest of the three brothers (see One Night With The Sheikh and The Return Of The Sheikh).

Prince Adan Janal Mehdi knows how attracted he is to Piper when he asks her to take a walk with him outside rather than to his bed. As she considers flying with him and the Mehdi retinue to Bajul, Piper learns who her host really is. Before she can come to grips on trusting him, Adan's no longer significant other supermodel Tania Thorpe pounces on him before dumping "it" on him; unaware she was pregnant she leaves him with his new son Samuel. Adan persuades Piper to help him raise Sam though she expects the sunny days will end with her suffering a broken heart.

The latest Billionaires and Babies contemporary (see Baby For Keeps by Janice Maynard) is the usual entertaining Kristi Gold Sheikh contemporary romance. Though Tania comes across as unrealistically vile in her brief appearances until she accepts the truth re mothering Sam, the lead couple and their baby make for an engaging storyline due to the interplay between the protagonists.

The Texan's Cowgirl Bride
Trish Milburn
Harlequin American Romance
9780373755271, $5.50

In Texas Savannah Baron manages The Peach Pit on her family farm. She also competes in barrel races. Recently at a rodeo she ran into her schoolmate widower Travis Shepard who just retired from the army. When she takes a fall while racing, Savannah suffers an injury but insists on taking care of her horse first before heading to the hospital. Her BFF Abby insures Bluebell is okay while Travis drives her to the hospital where she learns she suffered a severe bruise only.

While fantasizing that Travis was nipping her breasts, Savannah finds a lump. The nurse suggests she learn if breast cancer runs in the family. Thus she asks her sister Lizzie (see The Texan's Baby by Donna Alward) about their mother who deserted them years ago before hiring private investigator Travis to locate her mom. As they fall in love, Travis must overcome his fears of losing her like he did Corinne while Savannah needs to meet her mom before committing to her beloved.

The second Texas Rodeo Barons is an enjoyable contemporary as two high school friends fall in love years after they graduated but her health scare frightens both of them from commitment. Readers will appreciate this engaging tale as love may not be enough to bring this couple together permanently.

The Vampire's Wolf
Jenna Kernan
Harlequin Nocturne
9780373885992, $5.75

In California while on the run from vampires, Leana-Sidhe Feyling Brianna Vittori places her survival hopes with werewolves, a species she never encountered. Thus she drives into the mountains where the shapeshifters apparently live. However, vampires reside there too as she learns firsthand when they capture her.

Stationed at the Marine Mountain Training Center, werewolf Captain Travis MacConnelly's orders are to hunt down vampires. He rescues the hybrid from the vampires and escorts her to the base; but Mac breaks military protocol when he fails to turn her in. Instead he protects her while educating her as to who she is and why the vampires want her. At the same time their attraction grows out of control and her stalking enemies are his adversaries too.

As the Trackers (see Beauty's Beast, Soul Whisperer, Ghost Stalker and Dream Stalkers) take a breather, Jenna Kernan provides her fans with a fabulous urban (mountain) military romantic fantasy. The key to the strong storyline is the four prime species (werewolves, fae, vampires and humans) are all realistically deadly; with the heroine possessing a unique way to kill as nobody turns out to be Mother Teresa goodness.

Hot On The Hunt
Melissa Cutler
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
9780373278794, $5.50

Accused of seditious acts against the government disgraced former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent John Witter remains in hiding in the Virgin Islands while seeking a way to get to the only person who can prove his innocence to make him talk. His last friend within ICE emails John that his accuser Rory escaped from the Fort Buchanan prison and his beloved Alicia Troy vanished. He knows he must retrieve Rory before Alicia kills the rat who left her behind dying from a bullet she took on a black ops mission. Witter also assumes that ICE deploys its best field agents to prevent Alicia from assassinating her would be killer.

Once lovers, John and Alicia collide when both seek the same person for differing purposes. Whereas he still loves her, she is colder than the tundra towards him as she distrusts him and expects Witter to betray her as she believes he did once before by selling her to ICE in exchange for his freedom. ICE redirects it operatives to take out both rogue ex-agents.

The third ICE: Black Ops Defenders romantic suspense (see Tempted Into Danger and Secret Agent Secretary) is a fabulous action-packed thriller as two operatives in love clash over what to do to the person who destroyed both their livers. Fans will appreciate this engaging taut second chance drama rooting for the hero to moonwalk for the woman he loves.

The Resurrectionist
Sierra Woods
Harlequin Nocturne
9780373886005, $5.75

In Albuquerque, Dani Wright the resurrectionist understands her job is to right wrong though sometimes morality can confuse which is which. Three years ago her husband Blake's lover attacked her and cut out her unborn from her womb; she and her baby died, but the Other-siders sent her back to perform the miracles of a resurrectionist. Though attracted to her APD protector Detective Sam Lopez, she distrusts males ever since Blake's betrayal left her and their child dead; so she refuses to act on her desire.

After working the Ramirez missing child case, her otherworld contact Burton the street skateboarder a-hole informs her that the Others worry that the Dark malevolence is arising after centuries of dormancy. Meanwhile Sam always has her back and even supplements her power on a difficult switch. He admits to Dani he likes her a lot and that his grandmother was an underground illegal resurrectionist. As the couple gets closer and falls in love, the Dark comes for Dani.

This is an entertaining urban fantasy noir. Filled with graveyard humor and a slowly developing romance (which seems right for this fun thriller), readers will believe in Sierra Woods portrayal of The Resurrectionist bringing the enlightenment to New Mexico.

The Competition
Marcia Clark
Mulholland Books
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
9780316220972, $26.00, www.amazon.com

During a pep rally at Fairmont High School in the San Fernando Valley, two figures begin a shooting rampage leaving twenty-nine confirmed dead and counting; many others maimed and injured fighting for their lives. The two suspects apparently committed suicide in the library.

LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division Detective Bailey Keller leads the investigation. Los Angeles District Attorney Office Special Trials Prosecutor Rachel Knight (see Blind Ambition) joins her friend on the inquiry though she assumes she has no role since the perps are dead. However, evidence surfaces that imply the mass murderers survived their brutal assault and escaped, which frightens Bailey and Rachel as this violent pair most likely plans another bloodbath.

This is a terrific twisting thriller that combines plenty of action with the harrowing reactions of those about to die and the survivors, and the shock of first responders to the bloody rampage. Although an international headline case like this mass school killings would have much greater higher level intrusive political participation, readers will relish this adrenaline-pumping tale; as we anticipate a High Noon showdown between the two heroines and the two cold-blooded killers.

Night Drop
Michael W. Sherer
Cutter Press
c/o Amazon Digital Publishing
9780989274821, Kindle $3.99, www.amazon.com

Two years ago, teenager Cole Sanders committed suicide. Soon afterward, his grieving parents ended their marriage. Whereas his mom Molly McHugh mourned her loss, she continued as a high powered lawyer at a big Seattle firm; while his dad Blake no longer could live in daylight so now delivers the Seattle Times at night and volunteers at a Suicide Prevention Center.

After returning home from a business trip in China, Molly calls Blake to admonish him for failing to water her plants as he promised. However, shortly into the call Molly places Blake on hold to answer the door, but fails to return to the phone; someone abducts Molly. Her law firm and the FBI believe the kidnappers' motive is ransom; Blake disagrees believing some other unknown reason exists for the snatch.

At the same time Yousef leads a terrorist cell that forces former SEAL Macready the oceanographer to cooperate with their plot to use his dolphins to help move canisters filled with nuclear material or his captured woman will lose body parts. Office of Naval Intelligence LTC Reyna Chase searches for Macready who vanished from the grid. As Blake, Reyna, Macready, the Feds, the terrorists and their hostage converge, cities are at risk.

The third Blake Sanders thriller (see Night Tide and Night Blind) is an exhilarating drama that grips readers from the start even when the chessboard is being set and never slows down until the final confrontation. Although for the most part the terrorists are Middle East stereotypes and Iron Mike is a legend at Fort Bragg, subgenre fans will root for ADD-eccentric Blake stepping out in daylight to try to save his former wife.

The Home Place
Carrie La Seur
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.williammorrow.com
9780062323446, $25.95, www.amazon.com

On a freezing January night on the wrong side of the tracks in Billings, Montana, intoxicated Vicky walks the streets seeking to score pot from her ex Dennis. An early riser finds her body three blocks from the Kozinsky house where she and her tweener daughter Brittany have lived paying the rent by the adult having sex with the owner.

Vicky's older sister Seattle lawyer Alma receives the call that her sibling died from exposure. Having avoided for five years going home as she hates Billings the site of terrible memories, Alma plans to take care of business as fast as she can so she can return ASAP to Washington State. Her biggest concern is for her eleven years old niece who needs a home, but she distrusts her volatile family even her big brother to take proper care of traumatized Brittany, mute since her mom died. As remorseful Vicky learns more about her estrange sister's death, she begins to wonder if the tragedy was not alcoholic induced but instead a homicide.

This is a perceptive Big Sky family drama in which readers obtain a profound look at what shaped the two sisters to go on such diverse paths after their parents died when they were young with Vicky's death serving as a conduit into a dysfunctional extended family. Mindful of the frozen tundra in the movie Fargo, the stark Montana background enhances a strong saga with the only misstep being the "required" former boyfriend.

Ice Shear
M. P. Cooley
Morrow
9780062300706, $25.99

Though she loved being an FBI agent, June Lyons quit the Feds when the doctor told her that her husband Kevin was dying from cancer. She took a job in her hometown Hopewell Falls Police Department to spend time caring for her spouse and raising their young daughter Lucy with help from her father, the retired town police chief.

Now a widow living in her Upstate New York childhood home with her six years old child and her dad, June patrols at night. However, her former law enforcement world crashes with her current one when June finds the corpse of Danielle Brouillette, daughter of a US Congresswoman, spiked onto a chunk of ice protruding from the frozen Mohawk River. The newlywed had married Marty Jelickson, the son of the Abominations motorcycle gang enforcer. Her Hopewell PD peers already scorned June as a failed outsider; but their resentment explodes when a former FBI associate Agent Hale Bascom deputizes her. The discovery of a Meth lab complicates the convoluted investigation as does a biker's homicide.

This regional police procedural is an electrifying investigative tale starring an interesting single mom forced to straddle two diverse law enforcement plateaus in which she has been part of both. Although there are too many support players requiring readers needing a roster to keep score; filled with twists, blue penis envy and held together by a fully developed intriguing heroine, fans will want to tour Hopewell Junction with June as our guide.

Remains of Innocence
J. A. Jance
Morrow
9780062134707, $26.99

A decade ago in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Liza Machett graduated high school and left home to escape the abuse of her insane mother. Now her mother is dying so Liza reluctantly ends their estrangement. Her mother asks Liza to bring her a cookbook from the house. Inside Liza disgustingly sees her childhood home even more cluttered and filthier than when she grew up, which says a lot. She also finds 1,470 $100 bills stashed inside of cookbooks. As she wonders how her mom accumulated $147,000, Liza plans to use the windfall to clean up the house in order to put it on the market; unaware of the deadly danger to her and others unfortunately in her sphere that her endeavor will trigger. When she finally realizes the peril, Liza disguised as a cancer and abuse victim sneaks off to Arizona to locate and discuss the situation with her older half-brother, Cochise County M.E. Dr. Guy Machett who left home for Harvard when she was a young teen and never returned.

Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady and her team search for a missing developmentally disabled sexagenarian. They find Junior Dowdle's corpse among a "graveyard" of mutilated animals in a cave. Meanwhile Liza's current and past Massachusetts troubles follow her to Arizona.

The latest super Sheriff Brady police procedural (see Judgment Call, and Fire And Ice) is a tremendous entry as the cop works two complex cases that have no obvious ties. The fast-paced Remains of Innocence is a fascinating mystery that grips the audience from the moment Liza enters her childhood home and never slows down as homicide investigations in two states diagonally across the country keep the audience spellbound.

Breakwater Bay
Shelley Noble
Morrow
9780062319142, $14.99

Restoration Specialist Merielle Calder Hollis loves her work on the historical Newport mansions and adores her boyfriend Peter. She expects her beloved Peter to propose on her thirtieth birthday bash at her grandmother's home. Instead of euphoria at her big 3-0 party, Meri takes two shots to the gut when Peter announces out of the blue that he accepted a summer internship at his uncle's law firm on the West Coast and that she was adopted.

Peter's abrupt betrayal hurts as he never been to law school and failed to mention to her what he planned until it was accompli. However, that is minor compared to the adoption shocker. Though she knows the Calder Hollis brood has always showered her with love, Meri feels a deep need to learn more about her biological family. Meri starts with friend Alden Corrigan who has always been there for her. He rescued her pregnant mother at sea before the young woman vanished once on the shore but not before she left behind precious.

Breakwater Bay is a timely strong drama that looks closely at what a family is. Although the Peter subplot feels out of place and unnecessary as Meri's quest makes for a powerful story without his shtick; while the protagonist learns "blood is thicker than water; so's toothpaste" (Soupy Sales).

Rollover: A Dan Mahoney Mystery
Susan Slater
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com
9781464202964, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Still in New Mexico after working a case for United Life and Casualty (see Flash Flood), fiftyish insurance investigator Dan Mahoney heads to Wagon Mound, New Mexico on his latest assignment. Robbers tunneled their way into a bank's safe deposit area to steal a century plus old Tiffany diamond and sapphire necklace, and matching earrings worth $500,000; but left behind in the nearby vault millions in easier to liquidate money.

His car breaks down on the way to see the victim of the theft, octogenarian Gertrude Kennedy, but Dan fortunately gets a lift from former stunt performer Curt Echols. However, an accident leaves the driver dead and Dan in a Santa Fe hospital. After leaving the hospital, Dan meets Gert and her daughter Penelope. He likes the feisty senior citizen, but believes the daughter conceals key information that makes the sleuth wonder what Penelope knows about the robbery. Complicating matters are his girlfriend Elaine Linden vanishes, the Echols car crash was no accident and people related to the bank and the robbery die.

The second Mahoney investigation is a great thriller as nothing seems quite like it appears. Fast-paced and filled with action, readers will relish this enchanting mystery while hoping not to wait a dozen years for another Mahoney insurance fraud case.

Vengeance Is Mine: A Red River Mystery
Reavis Z. Wortham
Poisoned Pen Press
9781464202605, $24.95

In 1965 hit man Tony Agrioli met newlyweds Center Springs Constable Cody and Norma Faye Parker while they were on their honeymoon in Vegas. He liked what they said about their small Texas town and thought if he survived his job he would retire there.

Two years later, defying the Family by failing to kill two Cuban tweeners, Tony wants out of the murder business after falling in love with Samantha Chesterfield. She accepts his proposal of marriage and they agree to move to Center Springs to raise a family there. However instead of a peaceful town as the Parker couple once told him; nothing goes right especially when the Family arrives, but apparently not for him. Soon Cody's Uncle Ned, also a constable, leads an investigation into a homicide, counterfeiting and bank robbery with the sheriff interfering in the inquiry and his teenage grandson Top and the lad's cousin Pepper adding chaos to the pandemonium.

The fourth fantastic Parker clan historical police procedural (see The Right Side of Wrong, The Rock Hole and Burrows) is a great 1960s period piece thriller in which segregation remains strictly enforced and border issues are not on the radar screen. The Parker crew is solid as they deal with hell arriving in Center Springs.

Dead Float: A Cal Claxton Mystery
Warren Easley
Poisoned Pen Press
9781464202681, $24.95

In Dundee, Oregon, fishing guide Philip Lone Deer easily convinces his buddy former Southern California prosecutor turned small-town attorney Cal Claxon to join him as a guide on an angling trip on the Deschutes River. The Portland clients include CEO Hal and Alexis Bruckner. While fishing for salmon on the Klickitat in Eastern Washington, Cal and Alexis had a tryst last fall that he is not proud of though he enjoyed it.

On the river trek, someone slashes Hal's throat. Everyone who accompanied the deceased is considered a person of interest, but Cal's missing knife makes him the prime suspect. As such he investigates focusing on whether the motive rests inside the high tech firm that Hal ran.

The second Cal Claxton Oregonian Mystery (see Matters of Doubt) is an engaging tale that captures the beautiful essence of the state's fishing area through the eyes of the protagonist. The whodunit is fun but lacks depth while the odyssey of Cal's daughter in the Sudan feels unnecessary and intrusive. Still fans will enjoy touring the Pacific Northwest's major fishing holes with Cal as our guide.

Book Clubbed
Lorna Barrett
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780425252574, $25.95, www.amazon.com

In Stoneham, New Hampshire, Haven't Got a Clue bookstore owner Tricia "The Town Jinx" Miles finds her latest corpse when a bookcase in the cookery bookstore owned by her sister Chamber of Commerce president Angelica fell on the Chamber's shrewish secretary Betsy Dittmeyer. However, the cause of death is not from the bookcase, but instead strangulation.

Tricia investigates the murder of the town's most unpopular person and quickly uncovers an anomaly as the victim possessed plenty of money with no obvious source. Betsy's computer reveals the most likely basis for this income is Betsy's incriminating files on Chamber of Commerce members. As she continues her inquiry, two males no longer acceptable in her life (ex-husband Christopher Benson, and her on and off boyfriend Police Chief Grant Baker) pursue Tricia.

The latest Booktown mystery (see Murder on the Half-Shelf and Not the Killing Type) is an engaging tale due to the entertaining small New England town blather that includes series-running questions re the bookstore owning siblings. The amateur sleuthing is fun with plenty of family and professional suspects though the whodunit takes a backseat to the disclosures of top personal secrets; while the two males chasing after Tricia needs to be shelf under stale.

Harriet Klausner
Senior Reviewer


Laurel's Bookshelf

Ms. Love's Mystical Island Adventure
Susan Love, author
Patrick Harrington, illustrator
Mystic Sea Lady Publications
441 Tomlinson Rd., Philadelphia PA 19116, Apt. G-11
978161989110, 75 pages at $2.99 Kindle and Nook
75 pages at $4.99 Apple i-pad Air 3rd generation and above

When Susan Love transformed her crumbling inner city classroom into a tropical island of learning, her students responded in amazing, unexpected ways. Young imaginations flowered along with their individual talents. This exceptional ebook is a spin-off project, inspired by Ms. Love's remarkable students. Ms. Love's Mystical Island Adventure is much more than an ebook for kids to simply read. This adventure is an interactive experience, complete with vibrant animations, colorful illustrations and music that bring a fictional story to life. The story and Harrington's visuals enthralled me from first page to last.

Sabrina, Arthur, Miguel and Lucy are four kids who take a school-sponsored trip to a tropical island. They're typical kids, blessed with active imaginations and unique, individual talents. The purpose of their trip is to see magical orchids that bloom once every 100 years and repair damage to Earth's ozone layer. Their hostess is Ms. Love, who greets the students with disturbing news. A massive hurricane is moving in and threatens to destroy the magic orchids before they bloom. Unless Ms. Love and the children can locate a mystical crystal flower to protect the island, the magical orchids will be lost forever.

In their search for the crystal flower, the four classmates follow clues found in an ancient diary. They face each new danger bravely and work as a team to outsmart the bad guys determined to steal the crystal flower. And in the end, four kids save Earth's ozone layer with courage, cooperation, kindness, and generosity.

I highly recommend this ebook to libraries, parents, teachers and young readers age 8 through 12. The author and illustrator provide an enticing framework here that allows kids to use their imagination in individual ways. This is an exciting adventure with a gentle lesson thrown in as a bonus: "The best magic happens when humans and nature work in harmony."

Laurel Johnson
Senior Reviewer


Lorraine's Bookshelf

Tonal Tools for Keyboard Players
Lieven Strobbe, author
David Lodewyckx & Hans Van Regenmortel, editors
Garant Publishers
c/o International Specialized Book Services (ISBS)
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 9721311
9789044131390, $89.00, www.universitybookhouse.com

From the Musica Impulse Centre for Music in the Netherlands comes a new keyboard teaching manual with a creative approach incorporating composition, "Tonal Tools for Keyboard Players (191-page manual plus app)." The Tonal Tools book and teaching approach is described as "a source of inspiration and a toolkit for anyone who feels the genuine need for creative practice with tonal music from the very start and at any level of proficiency." That said, the manual and possibly also the app seem geared to adult or experienced teen understanding. "Tonal Tools" is divided into two parts. Part I deals with developing the keyboard player's expertise with tonal music, covering a multitude of related topics, from 18th century jazz to definitions and rules for using the tonal toolkit and applications, following vocabulary elements and syntactic components. This section also includes block play, guidelines, and rules for tonal keyboard composition. One exemplary statement in the page titled "Surviving the Tyrannical Soprano..." follows: "We all seem to be 'prewired' to learn how to make tonal music in much the same way that we are predisposed to learn how to speak or walk as long as the circumstances allow it (p. 16)."

Part 2 of "Tonal Tools" lists and describes the tonal tools included in the app, each page and tonal tool highlighted by a logo, a stylized, colored symbol associated with the component's sound or function in composition. Each logo is correlated with a specific musical feeling, to encourage students and teachers to experiment freely with musical structuring and composition through use of the app and keyboard. The teacher is instructed to be aware of the students' working memory, and to adapt the complexity of the form, the length of the musical segments, and the harmonic tempo to their ability. In the section titled Coda at the end, a list or app overview of tonal components includes: 1. Tertia, 2. Quiescenza, 3. Scalino, 4. Lancia, 5. Cadenza, 6. Phantom Lancia, 7. Phantom Cadenza, 8. Passi, and 9. Tiranno. Each app has a harmonic or progressive definition that is further subdivided in the app, with a logo key subdivision or overview of sub components of the app. Each of the 9 tonal components is further defined, and explained with sub-components outlined in the body of Part 2 of "Tonal Tools."

In summary, "Tonal Tools for Keyboard Players" is an exciting new approach for teaching digital composition and improvisation skills to the experienced musician. It can be adapted and refined for use with untrained musicians with some guidance, offered throughout the manual. Organized by logo and using rainbow colors to skillfully suggest tonalities and expression of musical feelings, "Tonal Tools for Keyboard Players" is an imaginative bridge between traditional keyboard composition and improvisation/performance and new age or digital-influenced composition and performance. The key principles of jazz improvisation are well integrated into the text and style of "Tonal Tools," an added advantage for both teacher and students.
Frequent examples of traditionally notated music are a part of the text, also, implying some literacy at least on the part of the teacher and probably also the student.

My Dog, My Friend
Jacki Gordon, compiler
Veloce Publishing
Veloce House Parkway, Farm Business Park, Poundbury
Dorchester, Dorsett DTI 3AR England
www.velocebooks.com
9781845846107, $24.99, www.hubbleandhattie.com

"My Dog, My Friend: Heart-warming Tales of Canine Companionship from Celebrities and other Extraordinary People" is a collection of truly heart-warming tales of the indisputable value of canine companionship to owners, particularly in times of mental or emotional crisis. Compiled by mental health researcher, author and dog owner, Jacki Gordon, "My Dog, My Friend" to raise funds for Samaritans, a special charity, "My Dog, My Friend" contains donated writings of celebrities and famous personalities about their life-enhancing experiences with beloved canine companions. Here are stories and photos of authors with dogs from Rankin (photographer), Charlie Dimmock (Ground Force gardening expert), Esther Rantzen, Bob Alper, William McIlvanney, Marty Becker, and many more. Each one has a very special story to tell about their relationship with one or more beloved canine companions. The very real impact of a dog's faithful friendship is established as a prime suicide prevention tool, as well as a warm source of enrichment and companionship. "My Dog, My Friend" is a beautiful collection of tributes to canine companions which donates all author royalties to Samaritans charity, a mental health support organization.

Nancy Lorraine
Senior Reviewer


Shelley's Bookshelf

Avoidable Contact
Tammy Kaehler
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., Ste. 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com
MM Book Publicity
9781464202384, softcover, $14.95
9781464202360, hardcover

Tammy Kaehler currently works as a technical writer in Los Angeles. Her experience with a career in marketing and technical writing drew her into the world of racing, and she was hooked. Thus the Kate Reilly racing mystery series was born. AVOIDABLE CONTACT is her third effort in the series, following up DEAD MAN'S SWITCH and BRAKING POINTS.

Kate Reilly returns as the beautiful driver in the male-dominated and grueling 24 Hours of Daytona. Kaehler leads the reader through this 24 hour race, as Detectives Latham of the Daytona Police Department and Officer Webster of the International Speedway Police inform Kate that her boyfriend and Vice President of Operations Stuart Telarday is in critical condition at the local hospital from an apparent hit and run. Could it be involved with the current race? A strange text from Stuart's phone sets up a chain of events Kate can't escape from, even as she prepares to race:

"I read the message. 'I'm a friend of Stuart's. I need to tell you what happened, and I need your help.'

'Are you kidding me?' I typed in response. 'Who are you and why do you have this phone?'

A minute later. 'Friend. Reporter. I saw Stuart get hit. His phone landed near me. I took it and ran.'

I gasped and typed back. 'You RAN?? You didn't call for help or go help him? How dare you?'

'Hang on.'"

Kaehler takes the reader on more than a race. It is a dizzying array of characters, interspersed with a running commentary of the race itself and each character's role in the tale. The reader is treated to an exciting plot, culture, and a darn good story.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer


Shirley's Bookshelf

The Haunting of Wolfe Haven
Debbie A. Heaton
iUniverse, Inc.
c/o Author House
1663 Liberty Dr. Suite #300, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
9781450238069, $22.41, 232pp, www.amazon.com

This is a story about a woman named, Riley, who left her husband for many reasons, of which you are not told for a long time. Now she is back at Wolf Haven, summoned by Abby Collins, who lives there, the reason at first as to why she was summoned is not known. I think this was stretched out a little longer than needed, and it was hard to keep my attention on the read without knowing more. I felt as if I was wondering around a dark mansion not at all knowing where I was going.

It wasn't that the writing was bad, perhaps just too much in some areas and not enough in others. I needed more information to keep my attention, and I wasn't getting it. As I got further in the read, it captured more of my interest, made more sense, and did keep my attention. From that point on I enjoyed the read and I must say it had quite an explosive and exciting ending. I think with just a few changes here and there this would be one great read. I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

I Love Grass
Maria Boston
Outskirts Press
10940 South Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478725688, $13.95, www.amazon.com

"I Love Grass" is quite a surprising book. When I first received it for review, I thought how interesting could a book about grass be, and I was quite surprised. First, let me say that the illustrations are bright and colorful, bringing home the words clearly to the minds eye. Now onto the story. Our author takes us on a journey through the year, showing us how grass changes with each Season, and how it plays an important part with all that interact with it. We are talking bugs, flowers, trees and leaves, even people. You know I never looked at grass with much appreciation, but I do now. I like this book, it is a learning book about nature, how important something like grass is to all of us, and is given in a very refreshing way. This book would be great to share with your child, and you will learn a lot as well. Very nice and I'm glad to recommend it. I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.

When a Spider Came to Stay
Rebecca Crosdale
Illustrations Charles Berton
Conscious Existence Publishers
9781499619010, $9.95, 22pp, www.consciousexistence.com

I have to say that as I read this book I have thought of the different times when I was sitting in a room and in came a Spider. To be honest with you, I was not happy about it. Spiders creep me out. Now in this book we meet a lady who embraces the visitation of a spider in her room. She watches the spider as it spins numerous webs, she interacts with it,and has a short conversation until the spider leaves. At the end of the book our author has some Discussion points to share with your young one, using the example of the spider and the lady to help bring across interacting relationships with something different than we are. I believe the author is trying to show everything in this world is different, has a purpose, and should be considered important. Definitely a lesson learned. I received a free book for an honest review.

If You Were Me And Lived In Mexico
Carole P Roman
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
http://caroleproman.com/pages/contact-form
9781480209626, $9.95, 26pp, www.amazon.com

I am always thrilled to received a book by, Carole Roman. I know I am going to learn something, and learn it in an amazing, fun way. I am never disappointed. In this review we learn about Mexico, and it perked my interest because I have been there. Like her other books we learn where Mexico is on the map, what they might name their children, the name of the capital city, and so much more. The illustrations bring the story to life in a great way. I have learned so much from these books, as has my granddaughter whom

I share them with. You can't go wrong with these, they truly deserve the highest recommendation, which I give. I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Stuck in the Doldrums -A Lesson in Sharing
Carole P Roman
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
http://caroleproman.com/pages/contact-form
9781479182701, $10.95, 24pgs, www.amazon.com

I was happy to receive this free book on my favorite Captain, Captain No Beard. I love the stories that author Carole P Roman pen around our Captain and his adorable Crew. In this adventure the Captain learns a lesson on how we all need each other and none can do a good job standing alone. As always the illustrations are top-notch, and the story just pulls you along. There is always a lessons intertwined in these excellent tales, teaching in a fun and enjoyable manner. This is another great read and one I am very happy to recommend.

Captain NoBeard -An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Liffe
Carole P. Roman
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
http://caroleproman.com/pages/contact-form
9781478151708, $8.99, 40pgs, www.createspace.com

Captain No Beard is a wonderful series perfect for your children. The characters are so well brought to life that your little one will quickly feel as though they are their good friends. Each book has an exciting adventure, allowing the characters to come alive within the story. Your children, and probably yourself will soon feel a part of their adventures. They will learn many lessons from this story and the others in the series without realizing that is happening. Very well written, great illustrations, and I happy to recommend this series.

I Want To Do Yoga
Carole P. Roman
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
http://caroleproman.com/pages/contact-form
9781475015584, $9.25, 24pgs, www.createspace.com

In this delightful tale we meet Hallie and her Mom. Mom is about to do her Yoga workout and Hallie wants to be part. In this light book we see how one teacher who is

very wise guides this little one to achieve her dream. This is a good introduction for any mom to share with their child, who would like their little one to share this activity with them. The illustrations truly help to bring the story to life. This was a great idea for a book, and I'm happy to recommend it.

You Are Not Small
Anna Kang
Two Lions
c/o Amazon Digital Publishing
9781477847725, $16.99, www.amazon.com

"Wow" was my first impression of this book. It is big and actually I'm not use to seeing such a large children's book, most of them are small, but I loved it. The cover has an adorable 'critter' on it that should make anyone smile. The story is about several groups of animals trying to decide who is small and who is big, or is it who is big and who is small? You travel along from one small critter to one that is bigger to one that is smaller. They go back and forth with each other commenting on who is small and who is big. Of course never agreeing. Great illustrations are shown to bring the story alive.

Now hold on there is a point to this story that is brought out quite well. The point being, you are only bigger or smaller depending on who you are standing by. I liked what that brought across to the reader and should help children who perhaps are teased for being too small or too big. I also loved how it ends, I had to giggle, but I'm not going to give that away. This is a really nice book for young and old. It is not only entertaining, but brings forth a life lesson. I put it down with a smile.

Queen Vernita Visits Gator Country
Dawn Menge, author
Pamela Snyder, illustrator
Outskirts Press
10940 South Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478722458, $10.00, 32pp, www.amazon.com

In this delightful read we travel with Queen Vernita as she travels to the South in America. Here our Queen learns so many things. She loves learning about the beautiful plantations, but she is horrified when she hears about the days of slavery. Our Queen loves Jazz, the Bayou and even alligators. Her trip and the information she shares with you is factual, and entertaining. In this book you will see brilliant illustrations, and learn many interesting facts. Another great read from our Queen Vernita. Recommended.

Shirley Priscilla Johnson
Senior Reviewer


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
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