When She Flew

Jessica Villareal is a police officer. She enjoys her job, especially when she can help people. Though, she seems to be at a lost when it comes to her daughter, Nina. Jessica is at her wits end. She doesn’t know what to do. Issues between her and her daughter will have to wait. Jessica has a bigger situation on her hands. Someone spotted a little girl wandering. They chased after her, only to discover and she was not alone.

Ray, a war bet and his daughter, Melinda “Lindy” have been living off the lands for quite some time. They were happy…till the authorities got involved and separated them. Lindy is currently in the care of Jessica. Lindy and Jessica may be from different worlds but they will learn how much they need each other.

It seems that I am in the minority in regards to this book. Most of the reviews I have seen, people really enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same. While I thought the story line had a lot of substance and emotions, it was the characters that I found lacking to make any type of connection with me. Therefore, I couldn’t get into this book. I kind of found Jessica weak. She let her daughter dictate her as well as her boss. Towards the end, it seemed that Jessica was pulling it all together but it was too late for me. I can’t really comment too much on this book as When She Flew, she flew away from me.

Mr. Shivers

Connelly lost the most precious thing to him…his daughter. Three weeks ago, she was murdered by a drifter. Since that point, Connelly has been following the trail of the vagrant. Connelly won’t give up till he has met his daughter’s murder face to face. He wants to personally kill him for what this man has taken from him.

Every town that Connelly stops at, the people there who know Connelly is looking for but they don’t know much about him other than people call him Mr. Shivers. Connelly learns that he isn’t the only one looking for Mr. Shivers. Connelly meets up with the other two men, Reverend Pike and Jakob Hammond. They also lost people dear to them. They men discover that there is more to Mr. Shivers then meets the eye.

Mr. Shivers is new author, Robert Jackson Bennett debut novel. I have had my eye on this book, ever since I first saw it a few months ago. It sounded dark and suspenseful. Unfortunately, this time the book looked and sounded better then it actually was. It started out alright. As the story started to pick up and I was introduced to Mr. Shivers, I found him menacing. The issues I had with this book were that none of the characters grabbed me as well as the story line did move slowly. I think of read this book in a daze. Mr. Bennett did show some promise. Hopefully his next book is better.

The Hole in the Sky

Many years ago in the land of Muraten, there lived a King and Queen. Queen Rhiana was desperate to know if she would have a baby. She wanted to ensure all would be well, so she went to visit a powerful seer by the name of Zella. Zella promises the Queen that she would give birth to a daughter. She tells the Queen that the best thing would be to marry her daughter off to their enemy of the Rugu tribe. Zella tricked the Queen and put a curse on the Murantens.

Present Day.

Thirteen year old, Kaela Neuleaf and her cousin Shawn were at home. Shawn had brought, Tiger, the cat in the house. Tiger wasn’t supposed to be in the house as Kaela’s father is allergic. Suddenly, Tiger takes off into Kaela’s father’s home office. Hidden in one of the drawers is an old diary. It belonged to Kaela’s mother. Kaela misses her.

Later in Kaela’s bedroom, Shawn and Kaela hear a knocking. It is coming from the closet. Inside the closet is a wizzen by the name of Netri. Netri tells Kaela that she is the chosen one. She must come with him through the hole in the sky to Murantenland. Netri says that King Arendore and Queen Skyla’s child has been kidnapped by Gulig, leader of the Rugus. Kaela must go to Murantenland and rescue the child. Join Kaela and Shawn as they have the adventure of their lives.

The Hole in the Sky is a really fun, exciting, fantastical novel of merriment. I liked Kaela and Shawn. They made a good duo. I liked how the story was set up between what transpired with Queen Rhiana and Zella. As soon as Kaela and Shawn went through the hole in the sky, I got sucked in as well. The illustrations through out this book were very nice. They helped tell the story. I do have to admit that I did get lost a bit. There were so many characters that I tried but couldn’t keep them straight. I only paid attention to the many characters and the secondary ones kind of got glossed over. Overall, this was the only issue I had with this book. I do hope to visit with Kaela, Shawn and the rest of the people of Murantenland again. Author, Barbara A. Mahler did a nice job with The Hole in the Sky.

Are you...Shattered?

Nine years ago, Kate Grayhawk Pendleton caught her husband with another woman. To get back at him she slept with a stranger. That was then and this is now. Kate’s husband is dead and she is the mother of two nine year old twin boys named, Lucky and Chance.

Kate is ready to start a new relationship with Texas Ranger, Jack McKinley. She has had a crush on him for a long time.

Wyatt Shaw is the son of D’Amaro, a notorious mob boss. To Wyatt’s surprise, he learns he is Lucky and Chance’s father. How far will Wyatt go to claim his sons?

Jack is waiting on his divorce with his wife, Holly to be final. Holly loves Jack and would do anything to keep him, even lie. She did it once before but is Holly willing to tell Jack a secret she has kept from him in order to save their son’s life?

Shattered is the first book I have read in the Bitter Creek series. I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It can be read as a stand alone novel. Though, I can assure you that if you hadn’t read the previous books that you will want to after finishing this one. My favorite character was Wyatt. He is a mobster’s son but that didn’t stop him from wearing his heart on his sleeve and showing vulnerability. Kate is sassy and full of spunk. It was interesting to see how all these characters lives intertwined with each other. Shattered left me waiting more.

The Cost of Dreams

Fourteen year old, Flora Enriquez and her brothers and sisters flee their home in Central America for the U.S. Their parents were killed during the raid on their village. Flora is not the oldest as her brother, Willie at sixteen is. Though, Flora’s drive and determination makes her way more mature for her age. She consumes the leadership role for her brothers and sisters. Flora and her two brothers cross the border, only to have the authorities arrest Willie and Rubio. Flora escapes unnoticed.

Flora meets up with a nice family and is hired to take care of their son. She convinces the family to pay for her schooling as she plans to become a teacher. One day, Flora meets a man by the name of Monte Erickson. She and Monte get married. Just when it seems things are looking up for Flora, bad things happen. Monte’s drug dealing brother, Roy comes looking for Monte. Flora ends up getting shot and Monte leaves her for dead. Will Flora survive or is The Cost of Dreams too high?

Gary Stelzer has penned a wonderful novel with The Cost of Dreams. Flora was such a great character. She has a wide range of dimensions from…strong leadership to caring and nurturing. Everything she went though would cause some people to give up but not Flora. She is a fighter. I got lost in this book instantly. It was like I was right with Flora every step of the way from her dangerous trek across Central America to setting foot onto American soil. The Cost of Dreams is a fast paced good read. Check out this book and I guarantee you won’t be sorry.

Cherries in Winter

Suzan Colon went from having take out food whenever she wanted to being laid off and having to pinch every penny she could. Suzan comes upon her grandmother’s old recipe book, filled with tons of delicious foods. Most of the recipes were written my hand. The cook book features recipes like Suzan’s Great-Great-Grandmother Matilde’s Baked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut, Chicken Pie a la Mississippi, Butter Cookies, and Nana’s Lemon Meringue Pie to name a few.

Suzan decides that it is time to take a few tips from her grandmother and mother and start learning to cook her own meals. Suzan and her mother journey back in time to 1913. Back to New York; where Suzan’s mother and her family were living. Suzan’s grandmother loved to cook. She even submitted some of her recipes to magazines. Some of them got published. After reminiscing with her mother, Suzan realizes that she is going to be fine.

Cherries in Winter is as good as a warm homemade meal. This book fills you up and makes you want more. The real star of the book was Suzan’s grandmother, Matilda. She was the glue that held everyone together during the Great Depression. So glad that Suzan Colon wrote this book and let us readers get a peep into her family. They are the kind of people that you want to know and be around. Also, all the recipes in this book sounded so delicious and mouth watering, that it was a shock that I didn’t drool. I am going to try out some of the recipes. Pick up a copy of Cherries in Winter today.

Life After 187

Kane Silver grew up being a military brat. His father was Colonel Silver. Colonel Silver was Special Forces. Kane grew up with discipline and a never give up attitude. Kane found and married the perfect woman. She completed him. Kan e was at the store picking up some items, when he got a feeling that something bad about to happen. He rushes home, only to find his wife murdered. The men who did it were just pulling away. Kane takes pursuit. Emotions take over Kane and he takes matters into his own hands. He ends up in prison for his actions.

Warden Quentin Bane loves to watch the fights but what he really enjoys is betting on them and winning. Warden doesn’t want to lose. So he decides to groom some of the best fighters he has in is prison. Kane is one of them. The other two are Si’Ling Lee and Valentino Lopez. Something happens and Kane, Si’Ling, and Valentino escape. They end up saving Warden Bane’s life but will Warden Bane send them back to their deaths?

I actually really liked this book. Though, I don’t know why I am surprised as I had to reservations about what to expect from reading this book. I felt Kane’s pain when he came home to find his wife murdered. Life After 187 was a bit scary in the fact that I am sure these things really do happen in prisons. Prisoners forced to fight, knowing that they will never really win their freedom. Author, Wade J. Halverson has written many Kane Silver novels. Life After 187 is the first one I have read. It can be read as a stand alone novel. For anyone looking to read something with a bit more substance than a romance novel, give this book a try.