Book Review To Save A Sinner

 
Title: To Save A Sinner

Author: Adele Clee

Stars: 4 out of 5

Review:
A very good historical romance with a strong willed and outspoken heroine.  Although she does not necessarily see herself as a great beauty she immediately makes a big impression on the hero who has returned after being banished to Boston. The book had both a strong and good storyline. The author is able to take you through the intimate scenes without being explicit and allowing the reader to use their own imagination. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read historical romance novels and look forward to reading the author's next offering.

I gave this a four star rating.

I obtained the book from Amazon in Kindle format.

Synopsis:
 He expected to be the topic of scandalous gossip. He did not expect an intriguing young lady to barge into his home with the intention of saving his wicked soul. Banished to Boston for causing the death of Lord Banbury, Lucas Dempsey vowed never to set foot on English soil again. But when his brother inherits the viscountcy and pleads for his return, the opportunity to show his contempt and loathing for the Society who turned its back on him proves to be far too enticing to resist. When the dishonourable Lucas Dempsey steps into the ballroom after a four-year absence, Helena Ecclestone is quick to label the gentleman a murderous rogue. That is until she stumbles upon a secret conversation and feels a moral obligation to see justice done. But while the ladies swoon over his handsome countenance, Helena is determined to look beyond such superficial features, intrigued to discover the true character of the gentleman he hides beneath his arrogant facade."

About The Author: 

http://www.adeleclee.com/

 

Book Review East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity"

 
Title: East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity"

Author: Philippe Sands

Stars 5 out of 5 Best book I have read this year.

Review:
Best book of 2016 and one of the most important I have read in years.
This book will pull you in as you wonder the streets tying to help Philippe Sand find his family history and if it wasn't for an amazing woman he would not be here today.  As Philippe finds his grandfather documents causing him to wonder why there was such a gab in his grandfather life  before, during and just after WWII. Philippe never gives up finding the truth about his grandfather and the who, what, why and how he was able to be spared during the round up in Poland. Some of the truth will never be discovered because people have passed away but Philippe never gave up hope in finding the people who changed his families life.
 
Hope is what I will take away from this book.

This book pulled at my heart string wondering what it was like for a 7 year old child to watch his father as he denied what he had done to the Jewish Nation during the Nuremberg Trials.
This story will stay with the reader far past the last pages of the story.
I know understand the difference between Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity and how they are not interchangeable.  They are two very different terms and two very different crimes.

This story brought to my memory as a little girl reading numbers off a woman's arm wondering why they were. She than taught to loves those around me no matter the crimes that have been committed.

This book isn't just a history lesson the world needs to understand it is also one mans hunt to find out about his family history which is uplifting, tragic and heart wrenching knowing so much loss happened because one man wanted the perfect race.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review. I feel honored to have received this book.

I have gave this book to my brother who works for the State Department and will be living in Poland for three years. I can't wait to see his review of this books as well.

Synopsis:
 A profound and profoundly important book—a moving personal detective story, an uncovering of secret pasts, and a book that explores the creation and development of world-changing legal concepts that came about as a result of the unprecedented atrocities of Hitler’s Third Reich.

East West Street looks at the personal and intellectual evolution of the two men who simultaneously originated the ideas of “genocide” and “crimes against humanity,” both of whom, not knowing the other, studied at the same university with the same professors, in a city little known today that was a major cultural center of Europe, “the little Paris of Ukraine,” a city variously called Lemberg, Lwów, Lvov, or Lviv.

It begins in 2010 and moves backward and forward in time, from the present day to twentieth-century Poland, France, Germany, England, and America, ending in the courtroom of the Palace of Justice at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg in 1945.
           
The book opens with the author being invited to give a lecture on genocide and crimes against humanity at Lviv University, welcomed as the first international law academic to give a lecture there on such subjects in fifty years. Sands accepted the invitation with the intent of learning about the extraordinary city with its rich cultural and intellectual life, home to his maternal grandfather, a Galician Jew who had been born there a century before and who’d moved to Vienna at the outbreak of the First World War, married, had a child (the author’s mother), and who then had moved to Paris after the German annexation of Austria in 1938. It was a life that had been shrouded in secrecy, with many questions not to be asked and fewer answers offered if they were.
           
As the author uncovered, clue by clue, the deliberately obscured story of his grandfather’s mysterious life and of his flight first to Vienna and then to Paris, and of his mother’s journey as a child surviving Nazi occupation, Sands searched further into the history of the city of Lemberg and realized that his own field of humanitarian law had been forged by two men—Rafael Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht—each of whom had studied law at Lviv University in the city of his grandfather’s birth, each of whom had come to be considered the finest international legal mind of the twentieth century, each considered to be the father of the modern human rights movement, and each, at parallel times, forging diametrically opposite, revolutionary concepts of humanitarian law that had changed the world.
           
In this extraordinary and resonant book, Sands looks at who these two very private men were, and at how and why, coming from similar Jewish backgrounds and the same city, studying at the same university, each developed the theory he did, showing how each man dedicated this period of his life to having his legal concept—“genocide” and “crimes against humanity”—as a centerpiece for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. 
           
And the author writes of a third man, Hans Frank, Hitler’s personal lawyer, a Nazi from the earliest days who had destroyed so many lives, friend of Richard Strauss, collector of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. Frank oversaw the ghetto in Lemberg in Poland in August 1942, in which the entire large Jewish population of the area had been confined on penalty of death. Frank, who was instrumental in the construction of concentration camps nearby and, weeks after becoming governor general of Nazi-occupied Poland, ordered the transfer of 133,000 men, women, and children to the death camps.
           
Sands brilliantly writes of how all three men came together, in October 1945 in Nuremberg—Rafael Lemkin; Hersch Lauterpacht; and in the dock at the Palace of Justice, with the twenty other defendants of the Nazi high command, prisoner number 7, Hans Frank, who had overseen the extermination of more than a million Jews of Galicia and Lemberg, among them, the families of the author’s grandfather as well as those of Lemkin and Lauterpacht. 
           
A book that changes the way we look at the world, at our understanding of history and how civilization has tried to cope with mass murder. Powerful; moving; tender; a revelation.

About The Author: 

Motherhood Monday You can't make this stuff up

 
I originally wrote a sweet post about families.  Than as the day went on I decided humor is what the world really needs to here is what happened to me.

My children have decided flushing a toilet isn't for them so I have to flush. This time the hand wiggled and the chain fell off. No big deal right? WRONG!

We have a black cabinet that sits over the toilet and leaves a small access point there a person with really small hands can wiggle the lid off.  I get the lid off, sticking my arm in the slightly warm water due to the fact the out side temp is 117 degrees.  I start to pull up the chain and realize my arm is suck.  I can't move it. I drop the chain and I still can't move it due to the placement of the cabinet. I try to lift the cabinet with my shoulder but he doesn't want to move because I don't have enough leverage.
As I lay across the toliet wondering how I am going to do this Number 3 (5) and Number 4 (3) comes into the bathroom.
5 year old "Mom I need a snack."
3 year old "Momma  I need help." He tries to hand me the kindle but with my arm stuck I can't turn to face him or fix whatever is wrong with the kindle.
Me "Kiddos mommy needs."
5 Year old "You always need stuff. I need stuff to. I need a snack!"
Me "Listen please my arm is stuck do when I get it out I will get you a snack now please leave."
5 year old "Make sure you wash your hands." Lots of sassy
Me "That wasn't nice."
Hair pulled in front of number 3's face and she leaves the bathroom.
I thought I might have my arm losses as I grab the chain once more.
3 year old "Momma NOW! Now!"
Me "I need a second to get my.
3 year old "No Momma Now!"
Me: "Child leave me alone NOW!"
He left mumbling in tears.  I was finally able to get my arm out leaving a little skin behind but the toilet.  The chain was fixed and everyone was happy with getting away with whatever they wanted to for 20 mins.

I can't make this stuff up. My arm is stuck and my kids demanding anything and everything they could.  When I got out of the bathroom washed my hands as directed everyone was given snack and nap time.

Book Review: Sins Lies and Spies

Title: Sins Lies and Spies

Author: Lisa Cardiff

Stars: 3 out of 5

Review:
They story lacked in so many ways I am not sure where to begin. Time seemed to not exist. I had no idea is days, weeks or months flew by because everything just went on and on with very little time table. It was only mentioned a few times that weeks had transpired but even than I couldn't figure out when.
Female lead was whiny, cried so much and never once could I figure out her skills. She existed in the book. Knox at least seem to know what he was doing even though he one a flat character as well.
Nothing about this story stood out or wanted me to search out any other books by Lisa Cardiff.
The writing was sub-par, the romance was borderline boring and the sex had very little spark
ARC From Netgalley.
 
Synopsis:

Knox Black is no stranger to secrets... As the head of a private military company, specializing in intelligence gathering, he's more than familiar with political corruption and secrets worth killing for. He has one objective on his current mission... Knox must uncover the mastermind orchestrating the blackmail scheme swaying votes in Congress. It was supposed to be easy. After all, nothing fazes him, until he faces off with Trinity Jones, a member of a rival company. Knox is determined to flip Trinity's loyalties and use her to his advantage, but there's one problem-he can't keep her out of his head, or his heart. As the tangled web of secrets behind the blackmail scheme unravel, Trinity is unwittingly thrust into the center of it. With her life on the line, Knox will to have to decide what is more important... His mission? Or the woman who stole his heart?
 
About The Author:
 
pending years practicing law and a million other things, Lisa decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and she must confess that inventing characters is so much more fun than writing contracts and legal briefs. A native of Colorado, she lives with her husband and three children in Denver. When she isn’t managing the chaos of raising three children and owning her own business, she can be found reading or writing a book.

You can read more about Lisa and her upcoming work at www.lisacardiff.com.

Book Review: In The Clearing by Robert Dugoni‏

 
Title:  In The Clearing

Author: Robert Dugoni‏


Stars: 4 out of 5

Review:

A thoughtful police mystery that will take you through a death investigation as both an active investigation and a cold case investigation. The newly appointed Deputy has all the right instincts and takes the right steps but had to follow orders when the death is determined to be a suicide. However, he retains the file, and forty years later after his death the file is reopened as a cold case. The ensuing investigation validates his suspicion and culminates with a resolution. A well written story that maintained my interest to the end.

I rated this book at 4 stars and would recommend it if you like a good police mystery.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Synopsis:

Detective Tracy Crosswhite has a skill, and a soft spot, for tackling unsolved crimes. Having lost her own sister to murder at a young age, Tracy has dedicated her career to bringing justice and closure to the families and friends of victims of crime.
So when Jenny, a former police academy classmate and protégé, asks Tracy to help solve a cold case that involves the suspicious suicide of a Native American high school girl forty years earlier, Tracy agrees. Following up on evidence Jenny’s detective father collected when he was the investigating deputy, Tracy probes one small town’s memory and finds dark, well-concealed secrets hidden within the community’s fabric. Can Tracy uphold the promise she’s made to the dead girl’s family and deliver the truth of what happened to their daughter? Or will she become the next victim?

About The Author:

 

Robert Dugoni is the New York Times and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of the Tracy Crosswhite series: My Sister's Grave, Bodily Harm, and In the Clearing, as well as the short prequels The Academy and Third Watch. The police procedural featuring Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite has kept Dugoni in the Amazon top 10 for more than two years. He is also the author of the legal thriller series featuring David Sloane. In all he has published 10 novels and an expose, The Cyanide Canary.
Robert was raised in Northern California. Growing up the middle child in a family of ten siblings, Dugoni jokes that he didn't get much of a chance to talk, so he wrote. By the seventh grade he wanted to be a writer.

Dugoni wrote his way to Stanford University where... read more at http://www.robertdugoni.com 

 

Book Review Classic At Bay by Amy Myers‏

 
Title: Classic At Bay 
‏
Author:  Amy Myers

Stars: 4 Stars out of 5

Review:

An engaging murder mystery set in modern day rural England with an unsolved murder from Soho, in the early 60's, being the key to solving the mystery. Jack Colby, car detective, is akin to a dog with a bone and refuses to give up until he had solved the three murders. A refreshing book that requires some mental agility in order to keep on top of the plot.

I gave this book a four star rating and would recommend it if you prefer a more difficult mystery to solve.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Sysnpsis:
Jack Colby, car detective, is commissioned to buy a dream car from an earl, but finds himself racing into serious danger."
The once-notorious cabaret singer Adora Ferne guards a private treasure trove of twelve classic Jaguar cars, but hankers over the one that is missing. Enter Jack Colby: Adora s manager Danny Carter has commissioned him to buy the thirteenth dream car from its owner, the Earl of Storrington.
When a murder follows the earl s rejection of an offer, Jack is determined to find out whether there is a link between that and the twelve Jaguars. But the path to the killer divides: does the truth lie amongst the secrets of Adora s past or much closer to home? Speeding along the route he s certain will lead to the answer, Jack rushes headlong into danger.

About The Author:
 
aka Laura Daniels, Harriet Hudson

Amy Myers was born in Kent, where she still lives, although she has now ventured to the far side of the Medway. For many years a director of a London publishing company, she is now a full-time writer. Married to an American, she lived for some years in Paris, where, surrounded by food, she first dreamed up her Victorian chef detective Auguste Didier. Currently she is writing her contemporary crime series starring Jack Colby, car detective, and in between his adventures continuing her Marsh & Daughter series and her Victorian chimnney sweep Tom Wasp novels.  

Book Review Sharpe Shooter by Lisa B Thomas (Maycroft Mystery Series)‏

Title: Sharpe Shooter  (Maycroft Mystery Series)‏

Author:  Lisa B Thomas

Stars: 4 out of 5

Review:

A delightful cozy mystery involving a cold case murder over 50 years old. Set in a small Texas town with a cast of characters which could be found in any small town in America. I was amazed at the way investigative leads were followed through to their logical conclusion even though conspiracy overtones abounded in the plot. This book can easily be read in an afternoon escape from reality.

I have given this book a four star rating.

I obtained this book from Amazon in Kindle format.

Sysnpsis:

Buoyed by a new job and a spirit for the holidays, Deena Sharpe didn’t know she’d be investigating the town matriarch’s death at her own Christmas party. Everyone assumes it was an accident— everyone but her daughter, Estelle. Now Deena must rely on her craftiness to dig out the truth before anyone else gets hurt.

A little romance, some snarky suburban competition, and a lot of mystery will keep readers guessing in this cozy whodunit. 

About The Author:

 

 

Happy Fathers Day and Happy Birthday to my Oldest 10!

What an amazing day it is Fathers Day and my Oldest turn 10 year old. Wait How did 10 years pass so quickly and yet so unbelievably slowly.
I bought this book a few years ago.  I cried so hard laughing while I read it.

Baby Sister is Getting Married!!

Congratulations to my amazing sister and her future amazing husband.  Just so you know Mister you hurt my little sister and I can promise you I know enough people to make you disappear without any trouble.

Love you two!!

Book Review DarkTown

 
Title: Darktown

Author: Thomas Mullen

Stars: 5 out of 5

Review:

The author has taken a historical fact and woven a story that, while fiction, could easily be construed as fact. I found the story to be believable and wrenching. It is hard to realize that something like this could have happened, and similar type behavior probably did occur in many locations, in my lifetime. I encourage anyone who reads this novel to do so with an open mind and to remember that incidents like this did occur.

I have given this book a five star rating.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Synopsis:
 Responding from pressure on high, the Atlanta police department is forced to hire its first black officers in 1948. The newly minted policemen are met with deep hostility by their white peers and their authority is limited: They can’t arrest white suspects; they can’t drive a squad car; they can’t even use the police headquarters and must instead operate out of the basement of a gym.

When a black woman who was last seen in a car driven by a white man turns up fatally beaten, no one seems to care except for Boggs and Smith, two black cops from vastly different backgrounds. Pressured from all sides, they will risk their jobs, the trust the community has put in them, and even their own safety to investigate her death. Their efforts bring them up against an old-school cop, Dunlow, who has long run the neighborhood like his own, and Dunlow’s young partner, Rakestraw, a young progressive who may or may not be willing to make allies across color lines.

About The Author: 
 
Thomas Mullen is the author of "The Last Town on Earth," which was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction, and "The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers." His books have been named Best of the Year by such publications as The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Onion, and Amazon.com.

His third novel, "The Revisionists," will be published in September 2011.

Mullen was born and raised in Rhode Island and graduated from Oberlin College. He has lived in Boston; in Chapel Hill, NC; in Washington, DC; and he now makes his home in Atlanta with his wife and two sons.

When not reading or writing, his greatest interests are music, film, travel, and hiking. The best books he read in 2010 were "Year of the Flood" by Margaret Atwood, "The Book of Daniel" by E.L. Doctorow, "The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Tourist" by Olen Steinhauer, "Serena" by Ron Rash, "Caveman's Valentine" by George Dawes Green, "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" by David Mitchell, "Savages" by Don Winslow, "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen, and "An Ordinary Spy" by Joseph Weisberg.

Book Review: Blanche on the Lam

Title: Blanche on the Lam

Author: Barbara Neely

Stars: 5 Out of 5

Review:

This book is part of the Blanche White mystery series. I find this series to be intriguing, well written and educational. It gives the reader a very different look at racism as seen by a black individual. While I am not black I find myself able to better understand where she is coming from as a writer. I would recommend this series to anyone who is seeking a great mystery with a  highly unusual and caring heroine.

I gave this book a five star rating and look forward to reading other books by this author.

I obtained this book from Amazon in Kindle format.

Synopsis:
Blanche White lends a refreshing African-American, female twist to the mystery tradition, as she turns from domestic worker to insightful--if reluctant--sleuth. A middle-aged housekeeper with a strong sense of humor, Blanche becomes an unlikely yet ingenious sleuth when murder disrupts the wealthy household of her employers.
 
About The Author:
 
BarbaraNeely is a novelist, short story writer, and author of the popular Blanche White mystery novels. The first book in this series, BLANCHE ON THE LAM, won the Agatha, the Macavity, and the Anthony -- three of the four major mystery awards for best first novel -- as well as the Go On Girl! Book Club award for a debut novel. The subsequent books in the series, BLANCHE AMONG THE TALENTED TENTH, BLANCHE CLEANS UP and BLANCHE PASSES GO have also received critical acclaim from both fans and literary critics. Books in the Blanche White series have been taught in courses at universities as varied as Howard University, Northwestern, Bryn Mawr, Old Dominion, Boston College, Appalachian State University, Washington State University and Guttenberg University in Mainz, Germany. Books in the series have been translated into French, German and Japanese.

Neely’s short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, university texts, and journals including: Things that divide us, Speaking for Ourselves, Constellations, Literature: Reading and Writing the Human Experience, Breaking Ice, Essence, and Obsidian II.

Ms. Neely has also had an extensive public sector career. She designed and directed the first community-based corrections facility for women in Pennsylvania, directed a branch of the YWCA, and headed a consultant firm for non-profits. She was part of an evaluative research team at the Institute for Social Research, the Executive Director of Women for Economic Justice, and a radio producer for Africa News Service. For her activism Neely has received the Community Works Social Action Award for Leadership and Activism for Women's Rights and Economic Justice, and the Fighting for Women's Voices Award from the Coalition for Basic Human Needs.

This is how crazy life is I forgot it's Motherhood Monday

Life has been so crazy that I forgot to post today.

All I can say is lot of swimming, friends over and hiding from the HOT Arizona sun!

It will be 119 in Sunday fathers day so there goes any chance of me turning on the oven.

Baking cookies. Eating Cookies. Making Lots of Crafts. Making Mother go a little more crazy.

Here's to hoping I don't forget next week.

Book Review Angel Lost

Title: Angle Lost A Dark Oak Mystery

Author: F. M. Meredith

Stars: 5 out of 5

Review:

Truly one of the best novels I have read in recent years on life in a small police department. Each action or event, be it happy or sad, affects every other officer and their families. It gives meaning to the phrase brotherhood. This book shows how life can change, in the blink of an eye, for not just one individual but for the entire department. Although this had a happy ending that is not always the case.

I gave this book a five star rating. I would buy and recommend it to anyone looking for a good police procedural novel.

I obtained this book from Amazon in Kindle format.

Synopsis:
Set in a small So CA beach town, an imaginative stalker's decapitation sends Detectives Milligan and Marshall on an investigation of the stalker's family, his victim and her family. When Doug strikes out on his own to corner the murderer and no one knows where he went, Stacey frantically tries to find him. She almost comes to a dead end, when his beloved MG is found in the lagoon on the Santa Barbara college campus

About The Author:

A.K.A. Marilyn Meredith is the author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries and the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, under the name, F.M. Meredith

Series:
* Rocky Bluff Police Department

Book Review: The Murder Pit (A Moose River Mystery #1)

Title: The Murder Pit (A Moose River Mystery #1) 

Author: Jeff Shelby

Stars: 4 1/2 out of 5

Review:
If you like your murder light with a comedic flair this series should be on your to be read list. A very good whodunit which keeps dropping subtle clues if the reader is able to pick them up. I was completely clueless until about 75% through the book and then the penny dropped.

I rated this book 4.5 stars for plot development and subtle comedic content.

I obtained this book from Amazon in Kindle format.

Synopsis: 
Daisy Savage finally has everything she wants. A new husband. A bunch of kids. A charming old house.

What she doesn't want is a dead body.

When a frozen pipe in the basement of her century-old home leads her and her husband downstairs into a newly discovered crawl space, they find a coal chute they didn't know they had. And a corpse inside of it.

Things become complicated when Daisy realizes she knew the victim. And things get even worse when it becomes increasingly clear that the body was placed there to make Daisy look like the killer.

Against her husband's advice and her own common sense, Daisy makes it her mission to prove to the denizens of Moose River that she is innocent. But doing so may be more dangerous than she planned.  
 
About The Author:
 
Jeff Shelby grew up around the beaches of Southern California and graduated from the University of California at Irvine. He is the author of the bestselling Noah Braddock series (Killer Swell, Wicked Break, Liquid Smoke), the stand alone thriller Thread of Hope, and the Deuce Winters series (Stay At Home Dead), written under the name Jeffrey Allen. He lives in Dallas, TX.

Book Review Targeted (Callahan & McLane #4)

 
Title: Targeted (Callahan & McLane #4) 

Author:   Kendra Elliot
 
Stars: 5 out of 5

Review:
Kendra Elliot as the ability to create amazing characters that have heart, soul and are is simply amazing. 

Each story builds in the Callanhan and McLane series build on each other making the readers invested from book one to now book 4 of the different characters. This book gives the readers an amazing back story on so many characters and to top that off the reader will never feel lost.

 When Mason looses his friend and boss you can feel his pain and how hard he tries to tuck it away. I love how Eva and Mason balance each other out making the relationship feel real and not made up.

I enjoyed reading how Eva found what she loves in life after being put though so much in the last 3 books and how she realized her sister effects her in the positive and negative way.
New characters are introduced and will be interesting to see what happens as the series continues to move forward. 

This story story will keep readers on the edge of their seats and Kendra Elliot listened to her fans when she wrote this book making it so much more than who done it and more a fight to live life.


Thank you for not making Eva Pregnant. I love this series!
AC Netgalley for my honest thoughts
 
Synopsis:
 All Detective Mason Callahan wanted was a quiet fishing trip with the guys—a chance to get away and unwind before Halloween.

Until he finds the body of his boss, Denny Schefte, near their remote Oregon cabin. Now all he wants is to catch the sadist who slit Denny’s throat and covered his face with a mask. Mason was the last person to see him alive and will stop at nothing to find his friend’s murderer.

When the FBI learns of the mask left at the scene, they realize they have a serial killer on their hands—one who is targeting cops. They assign the case to Special Agent Ava McLane, despite her engagement to Mason. Barely recovered from her own nearly fatal injury and her sister’s attempted suicide, Ava hopes she is ready to chase another killer.

But as she delves into the increasingly disturbing case, the killer may be closer than expected—dangerously close.

About The Author:

Kendra Elliot grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still lives there with her husband, three daughters, two cats, and a Pomeranian. She's fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and dreams of living every day in flip flops.

The BONE SECRETS NOVELS: HIDDEN, CHILLED, BURIED, ALONE, KNOWN and VEILED (a novella).

The CALLAHAN & McLANE novels are a spin-off of the Bone Secrets books. VANISHED, BRIDGED, SPIRALED, and TARGETED coming JUNE 2016.

A 2014 International Thriller Writers finalist, a 2014 and 2015 Daphne Du Maurier winner, and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice finalist.

Book Review Cicada Spring

Title: Cicada Spring

Author: Christian Galacar

Stars: 5 stars

Review:

I was totally absorbed in this book and felt like a bystander in the final moments. A great  plot and even better finish. If you are a fan of mysteries and police work this is the book for you. I will not give the story line away but will say if you only have time to read one book this year let this be the book you read.

I gave this a five star rating.

I obtained this book from Amazon in Kindle format.

Synopsis: 
On a warm May evening in the spring of 1979, the people of Heartsridge, Massachusetts, are living the American dream. Families are gathered for barbecues. Kids are playing in front yards. Gardens are being kept. Meanwhile, Kara Price stumbles home through the woods, raped and beaten, her life shattered by a wicked act of violence, perpetrated by one of the town’s most beloved and public figures.

Surrounding Kara is a cast of compelling and nefarious characters—a violent-tempered mayor who can do no wrong in the eyes of the town, a sheriff bound by the rules and plagued by a guilty conscience, a father bent on revenge, a serial killer in the midst of an identity crisis. And at the center of it all there's Kara, who just wants to move on with her life and forget everything that happened to her. But how can she do that when everyone thinks she is a liar who is only out for attention? With plot and emotion braided together by a careful hand, this haunted group of people all acting on behalf of their own interests begs the question: How far would you go to protect your own?

* 2015 Readers' Favorite Award Winner *
* A 2015 IAN Book of the Year Awards Finalist *
* B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree *
 
About the Author:
 
Christian Galacar (Born 1984) grew up in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a small suburb north of Boston. He attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he received a BBA degree in Finance. Although interested in writing fiction from a young age, it wasn't until 2012--and realizing the banking industry wasn't all that fun--that he decided to pursue it as a career. Cicada Spring is his first novel.

He is currently working on his second book, Soldier of God, a dark psychological horror novel. Look for it in 2016.

To receive updates on future book releases and other announcements, subscribe by email here: www.christiangalacar.com He promises not to fill your inbox with junk mail.

Book Review: Tall Tail by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

 
Title: Tall Tail
Author: Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
Stars: 4 1/2 out of 5

Review:

Another outstanding mystery by the Brown duo. As always this story keeps your attention while providing an insight into a crippling and deadly disease. For the time period under discussion it would have also been racially charged stigma which many could or would not accept. I love to read books by Rita Mae Brown as they always enlighten me in ways I had not imagined possible.

I gave this book a 4.5 rating and would  purchase and recommend it to others. I feel that it should be read for both the mystery and self enlightenment of a serious illness which affects many individuals across the globe.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Synopsis:
At any moment a perfect summer day in Crozet, Virginia—nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains—might turn stormy and tempestuous, as Harry knows too well when a squall suddenly sweeps in. In a blink, Harry’s pickup nearly collides with a careening red car that then swerves into a ditch. Harry recognizes the dead driver slumped over the vehicle’s steering wheel: Barbara Leader was nurse and confidante to former Virginia governor Sam Holloway.

Though Barbara’s death is ruled a heart attack, dissenting opinions abound. After all, she was the picture of health, which gives Harry and her four-legged companions pause. A baffling break-in at a local business leads Harry to further suspect that a person with malevolent intent lurks just out of sight: Something evil is afoot.

As it happens, Barbara died in the shadow of the local cemetery’s statue of the Avenging Angel. Just below that imposing funereal monument lie the remains of one Francisco Selisse, brutally murdered in 1784. Harry’s present-day sleuthing draws her back to Virginia’s slave-holding past and the hunt for Selisse’s killer. Now it’s up to Harry and her furry detectives—Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker—to expose the bitter truth, even if it means staring into the unforgiving eyes of history and cornering a callous killer poised to pounce.
 
About The Author:
 
Rita Mae Brown is a prolific American writer, most known for her mysteries and other novels (Rubyfruit Jungle). She is also an Emmy-nominated screenwriter.

Brown was born illegitimate in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She was raised by her biological mother's female cousin and the cousin's husband in York, Pennsylvania and later in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Starting in the fall of 1962, Brown attended the University of Florida at Gainesville on a scholarship. In the spring of 1964, the administrators of the racially segregated university expelled her for participating in the civil rights movement. She subsequently enrolled at Broward Community College[3] with the hope of transferring eventually to a more tolerant four-year institution.

Between fall 1964 and 1969, she lived in New York City, sometimes homeless, while attending New York University[6] where she received a degree in Classics and English. Later,[when?] she received another degree in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts.[citation needed] Brown received a Ph.D. in literature from Union Institute & University in 1976 and holds a doctorate in political science from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.

Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. In 1977, she bought a farm in Charlottesville, Virginia where she still lives.[9] In 1982, a screenplay Brown wrote while living in Los Angeles, Sleepless Nights, was retitled The Slumber Party Massacre and given a limited release theatrically.

During Brown's spring 1964 semester at the University of Florida at Gainesville, she became active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Later in the 1960s, she participated in the anti-war movement, the feminist movement and the Gay Liberation movement.

Brown took an administrative position with the fledgling National Organization for Women, but resigned in January 1970 over Betty Friedan's anti-gay remarks and NOW's attempts to distance itself from lesbian organizations. She claims she played a leading role in the "Lavender Menace" zap of the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1, 1970, which protested Friedan's remarks and the exclusion of lesbians from the women's movement.

In the early 1970s, she became a founding member of The Furies Collective, a lesbian feminist newspaper collective in Washington, DC, which held that heterosexuality was the root of all oppression.

Brown told Time magazine in 2008, "I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became [in the late 1970s] the only lesbian in America."

Motherhood Monday Mighty Woman

As I was making breakfast one morning I looked in the backyard to find feathers. That's right feathers and we do not have any pets so... something stalked one of the many pigeons in the backyard, pounced and killed it. I wasn't too upset after all pigeons are flying rats.  I kindly as my husband to clean up the killed bird after work and it didn't happen. The next morning I watched as bird seems to yell at each other as they circled the dead bird. I decided it was time someone cleaned it up.
My husband said he would clean it up but I figured I would show my children how amazing their mom is.  I quickly grabbed a bunch of grocery bags and went outside. Honestly I really didn't want to clean up the bird I grabbed the shove I found it wasn't a whole bird but just one wing with two little bloody bones covered in ants. Gross!!

(One thing about Arizona I hate is the ants here because they bite. Red, Black whatever color they all bite.)

I quickly picked up the wing and a few feathers quickly running out the side door yelling at my husband to spray the ants.
Doug: "Honey its the circle of life."
Me: "Kill The Circle of Life I don't want them in the house!"

Book Review: A Reckless Promise

 

 Title: A Reckless Promise

Author: Kasey Michaels

Stars: 4 out of 5

Review:

While reading this book I felt I could close my eyes and step back in time and enjoy a visit to old England. While there I was able to be a bystander and watch a delightful love affair evolve between two well written and described characters. Both of whom are headstrong and with perceived faults that they try to keep secret from each other. If you are a fan of strong no nonsense heroines, and likeable heroes, you will enjoy this offering.

I have given this book four stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance novels.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

 Synopsis:
London's Little Season has never been so scandalous

It's the kind of vow often made on the battlefield. Darby Travers, Viscount Nailbourne, never imagines he'll have to honor it. Yet here she is on his doorstep—his late comrade's young daughter, and Darby's new ward. Worse, she comes with the most overprotective, mistrustful, bothersome chaperone—the child's aunt, Sadie Grace Boxer. Darby is quite sure that behind her lovely facade, the woman is guarding a secret.

Sadie Grace faced many trials working in her brother's surgery, but none prepared her for the world she's thrust into with his passing. Navigating the ton, with its endless ball gowns and parade of parties, is difficult enough, but hiding the truth about her niece while the sophisticated viscount watches her every move proves nearly impossible—particularly when his searing gaze tempts her to bare all. But when her family's past catches up with her, she'll have to trust in Darby…no matter the cost to her heart. 

About The Author:

Kasey Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 books (she doesn't count them). Kasey has received three coveted Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, two for the historical romances, THE SECRETS OF THE HEART and THE BUTLER DID IT, and a third for contemporary romance LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY (that shows diversity, you see). She is a recipient of the RITA, a Waldenbooks and Bookrak Bestseller award, and many awards from Romantic Times magazine, including a Career Achievement award for her Regency era historical romances. She is an Honor Roll author in Romance Writers of America, Inc. (RWA)

Kasey has appeared on the TODAY show, and was the subject of a Lifetime Cable TV show "A Better Way," in conjunction with Good Housekeeping magazine, a program devoted to women and how they have achieved career success in the midst of motherhood (short version: "with great difficulty").

A highly praised nonfiction book, written as Kathryn Seidick, "...OR YOU CAN LET HIM GO," details the story of Kasey and her family during the time of her eldest son's first kidney transplant.

Kasey has written Regency romances, Regency historicals, category books including novellas and continuities and a few series "launch" books, and single title contemporaries. She has coped with time travel, ghosts, trilogies, the dark side, the very light side, and just about everything in between. Hers is also the twisted mind behind her ongoing Maggie Kelly mystery series starring a former romance writer turned historical mystery writer whose gorgeous hunk of a fictional hero shows up, live and in color, in her Manhattan living room – to melt her knees, to help her solve murders, and to leave the top off her toothpaste. And, says Kasey, she's just getting started!

Interview with Alysai Keller Author of Finding Faith in the Battle

Finding Faith in the Battle was sent to me for my honest opinion but as I started to read the book I found it hit to close to home. Have been struggle with an eating disorder for many years. Reading about her battle brought up many emotions for me personal and I thought an interview would be better than my personal thoughts on the book. 
Eating Disorder happen at different times of out lives mine was triggered thought a learning disability as well an anxity.  I have been finding help though a 12 Step Program as well as therapy.  I have to give a shout out to Alysai for being willing to share her struggles openly. I hope more women will come forward and realize it isn't something to be a shamed of and be willing to share their struggle and realize it is ok that we are not all Wonder Woman.

  I was able to interview Alysia Keller the author Finding Faith in the Battle. 

 
Interview with Alysia Keller.

People always assume if you have a eating disorder it is all about food. Many times I have heard personally that I just need to sit down and eat a meal and everything will be solved. What would you say to people who think Eating Disorder is all about food? It's not about the food. Just like I describe at the beginning of my book, it's more than food. It's a psychological state that takes over your mind and you really become someone other than yourself. It turns into a game with emotions and control. 

How do we change the mind set of individuals who think eating disorder is a simple fix? I don't believe you can change the mind set of others but more less explain to them what your mind goes through, the daily troubles you have to cope with each day sometimes just to even be existing. The more you are able to explain I think the better they are able to understand but will never be able to fully understand. There will always be questions on why do you do this to yourself? Why don't you just eat? And that's where it can be difficult with the pressures and tensions of others just wanting you to "get over it". 

How do you handle people who find eating disorders as in a why a joke. For example when someone says "I wish I had your problem or I wish I could just not eat like you? First out of recovery this was hard to handle. People still did not understand the extreme rehabilitation that I had just went through for a mind eating disease. When talking to one individual in particular, He asked how I was doing, My answer was, "I am okay, just taking it one day at a time. It's been tough." His reply, "I'm anorexic sometimes, I will just drink coffee in order not to be so hungry for lunch when I want a big dinner." This just disturbs me to have people automatically relate to you when it is a completely different struggle. During these times, I wish I could have eaten but the guilt that came afterwards and the torture of self harm are unbearable to handle. So, I would give in and not eat in order to feel I had that sense of self control.

As a fitness and wellness coach how do you handle someone who is exercise bulimia\anorexic? What are some ways they can still be fit without losing themselves in the disorder? I enjoy working with these individuals. It makes me feel so good to be able to help others on a one to one first hand experience bases. We have an instant connection and I feel as I am some what of a security blanket for them. They are able to open up and tell me things they are not comfortable with telling others. I will teach them proper nutrition along with the adequate exercise for how much they are taking in daily. We have non scale victories, it's the best feeling and a great way to lean off of always having to find comfort in a number on a scale. 

How do you explain the high someone gets when they don't eat? I didn't get a high. It was more of feeling in control and having power over something. 

Do you feel the media plays a role in Eating Disorders? If Yes why? In No Why? Yes, most definitely. Social media seems to put so much pressure through magazines, models, TV shows, movies, etc. You see nothing but skinny girls and size 0. Very unrealistic. I am thankful for the celebrities that take a stand to show off there curvy bodies and love themselves for who they are and not afraid to say they want to eat a pizza. Demi Lovato is someone I admire! She has been open with her eating disorder and struggles. Shows that even individuals with fame can still lead a path of light. 

Some people feel anorexia serves as a distraction or a way of coping with life events that are uncontrollable or  unmanageable feelings. Other feel that Anxiety, depression, OCD and other mental disorders are the trigger.  What do you feel triggered your eating disorder?If you feel that parents are the cause of Eating Disorders? If Yes Why? If No Why? No, parents are not the cause but can play a major role into feeding the disease. Such as mine for example. My parents divorced when I was 4. Growing up, they did not portray a healthy parental relationship for us to see. Fighting and arguing through my sister and I, cursing, angry all the time. That puts a lot of stress and pressure onto someone who does not really understand and cannot say anything to stop the nonsense. Feeling of no control, having PTSD causes anxiety and depression. That would be the base of how it started but you do not realize until you dig deep later on and see how the role plays out and the feelings come to play into it which causes the mind to really have a mind of its own. 

How would family and friends address someone about an possible eating disorder? It should be addressed not by anger but more of love and concern. Having an individual who struggles with a harsh reaction to it can make them feel attacked and that will only make matters worse. 

If you are a parent what are some of the warning signs you would look for? I would look for change of behavior with food, and anxiety or depression? Calorie counting, sudden weight loss, etc. 

How much has God helped influence you and your eating disorder? God was the foundation to where I was able to rebuild my life. For that, I will be forever grateful and continue to praise him daily. A verse that I came upon while in rehab, "With your help I can advance against a troop, With my God I can scale a wall" Psalm18:29 - This is my favorite. Speaks truth and is what I would lean on each day. 

Have you ever tried a 12 step program that has helped those with an Eating Disorder that has worked?  I have not done a 12 step program. I attended Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg , AZ for 90 days then for 3 weeks after I was in the Remuda Life program. More of a step-down house. 

Where have you found peace when you eating disorder tries to take control of your life? I pray, breath and think positively about whatever the situation might be. As long as I can pray and talk my self down, it makes it easier to handle. If it seems to strong to where I feel I may have an anxiety attack, I will lean on my husband for support. He's a great listener!

Do you feel there is a "Cure" for someone who suffers from an eating disorder? I believe there is a "cure" but it is something that will always be in the back of my mind. Even now, I wake up wondering what I am going to eat and how much, but it does not affect me to where I am counting all the calories around me. I eat healthy most of the time so it makes it easier. I am not afraid to have some fries here and there with some ice cream :) And also seeing my Remuda sisters posting about non scale victories or even pregnancy photos in swimsuits brings so much more peace of mind knowing that we are going to be okay. We are living life as we should! 

Do you feel open communication is the key to understanding eating disorders and the cause of them? Or do you feel it will cause others to develop eating disorders? I do not feel it will cause others to having eating disorders. It may trigger someone who is currently struggling but open communication is the greatest factor in recovery. You cannot keep hiding from the reality of this disease. Action needs to be taken. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? People who have worked with who you have helped? Positive stories that could inspire those who see little light in their struggle? I still take the time out of my daily life to meet up with younger girls to speak with them. I've had parents reach out to me about there child or concerns' and it makes me feel good knowing that I come to mind to be an option to be able to help an individual. It keeps me going and makes my heart happy.

Thank you so much for your time Alysai and I hope this will bring insight to those who struggle with an Eating Disorder.
 

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Faith-Battle-Alysia-Keller-ebook/dp/B017UPS0WC?ie=UTF8&keywords=Finding%20Faith%20in%20the%20Battle&qid=1464020714&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1