Saturday, February 22, 2020

DEAD ON ARRIVAL - BOOK 1 OF THE LAURA & GERRY MYSTERY SERIES BY KAREN VAUGHAN - WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU WAKE UP TO A DEAD BODY ON YOUR LIVING ROOM FLOOR?

Laura Hamilton wakes up one morning only to find out a dead body inside her apartment. It was, after all, her ex-coworker, "Velcro" Hodges, a debt collector who was known to leech on his prey until the debt is already paid in full. But why was he dropped insider Laura's room?
Now someone wants Laura to be dead. As the plot thickens, Laura tries to find out on who could possibly want her next to be in cold blood. Lead Detective Inspector Jeff Gibbons helps her, tracking any leads he gets, but that doesn't seem to help solve the puzzle.

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Great first book in this fun series that I read out of sequence and still enjoyed very much. Corpse magnet, Laura, is on her own in this first book written before Gerry joins her on her misadventures. She's a funny, sarcastic, unpredictable character who takes up sleuthing when a dead body turns up in her apartment. More than a little motivation, that's for sure! Several secondary characters add interest along with more than a little sleaze as Laura sets out alongside Detective Inspector Jeff Gibbons to find out whodunit. I'm not going to tell you that, of course, or reveal how Laura figures it out. You need to read this book and have the fun doing that for yourself
AUDIO

THE OWL AND THE SIPAN LORD - A NOVEL SEEPED IN MYSTERY AND THE PARANORMAL BY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR VIV DREWA

Martin and Clare Montgomery worked together as an archaeological team until Martin mysteriously died. Fearing the rumors of a curse Clare vowed to never return that was until a rare blue eyes owl began to haunt her dreams. Was this a sign from her beloved Martin or something more sinister?
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Having read and loved THE ANGLER AND THE OWL by Viv Drewa, I was drawn to read THE OWL OF THE SIPAN LORD, an adventure story steeped in mystery and danger. The heroine, Clare Montgomery is cut from the Indiana Jones/Allan Quatermain cloth and takes us to Peru on an archaeological dig to find answers to paranormal questions and the death of her husband. The tightly woven tale with multi-faceted, likable characters is fast paced and a perfect balance of demons and sorcery and authentic ancient Peruvian culture and love. This one made me get up in the middle of the night to cover my red-eyed clock. Another outstanding adventure form Viv Drewa.

Friday, February 21, 2020

THE GOLDEN RULE SAYS BE KIND - AN AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN'S BOOK BY SHERRILL S CANNON

Winner of 9 Awards, The Golden RuleWhat if you treated others the way you'd like to be treated?  What if everyone did that?  What kind of world could there be? Please join in the children's quest to discover how to follow The Golden Rule. The book has won a Book Excellence Award Gold Medal, eLit Gold, Reviewers Choice Silver, Children's Literary Classics Silver plus Seal of Approval, Mom's Choice Silver, Readers Favorite Finalist Award, IAN Book of the Year Finalist and Pinnacle Achievement Award.   
This is the eighth rhyming children's book by award-winning author Sherrill S. Cannon, whose other bestselling books include My Little Angel, Mice & Spiders & Webs...Oh My!, My Fingerpaint Masterpiece, Manner-Man, Gimme-Jimmy, The Magic Word, Peter and the Whimper-Whineys and Santa's Birthday Gift. Former teacher Sherrill S. Cannon has won sixty-three awards for her rhyming books and is also the author of seven published and internationally performed plays for elementary school children.
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I was looking for a new book for my great-nephew and happened upon this one. I love children's books written in a singsong rhyming style reminiscent of Dr. Seuss and this book was just what I was looking for.

The cadence of the rhyme along with the skillful illustrations rapidly engages the youngster's attention as they follow the characters on their search for the 'golden ruler,' A fun and enjoyable read, this book also imparts an important lesson for youngsters without being preachy.

My great-nephew thoroughly enjoyed it and, I hope, took away with him a valuable concept.

I can recommend this book without reservation to any who have young children in their lives

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2016
Once again Sherrill Cannon has written a wonderful story with a very special message.

The Golden Rule, penned for the young, but is much more than a brilliantly written rhyming tale. It teaches how great it would be if everyone to gave to each other what they would like to receive.

The illustrations are charming and go wonderfully with the story. Ms. Cannon's clever and intelligent gift for telling a story in rhyme that does not talk down to a child, but instead is consistently at their level is unsurpassed in today's children's books.

Kudos to Ms. Cannon for another fabulous book. I highly recommend it.
PAPERBACK

NEW TO THIS WITCHY THING CAN EMLYN GOODE USE HER POWERS TO FIND THE KILLER? THE MAGIC OF MURDER BY SUSAN LYNN SOLOMON.

When his partner is discovered in a frozen alley with eight bullets in his chest, Niagara Falls Police Detective Roger Frey swears vengeance. But Detective Chief Woodward has forbidden him or anyone else on the detective squad to work the case. Emlyn Goode knows Roger will disobey his boss, which will cost him his job and his freedom. Because she cares for him more than she’ll admit, she needs to stop him. Desperate, she can think of but one way.

Emlyn recently learned she’s a direct descendant of a woman hanged as a witch in 1692. She has a book filled with arcane recipes and chants passed down through her family. Possessed of, or perhaps by a vivid imagination, she intends to use these to solve Jimmy’s murder before Roger takes revenge on the killer. But she’s new to this “witch thing,” and needs help from her friend Rebecca Nurse, whose ancestor also took a short drop from a Salem tree. Rebecca’s not much better at deciphering the ancient directions, and while the women stumble over spell after spell, the number possible killers grows. When Chief Woodward’s wife is shot and a bottle bomb bursts through Emlyn’s window, it becomes clear she’s next on the killer’s list.
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I fell in love with The Magic of Murder! It is a charming, funny, and very interesting twist of a mystery!

I enjoyed following Emlyn Goode in the discovery of her family heritage and her unique abilities as well as finding out who did it! I admit it was quite a surprise to find out who it actually was!!!

Emlyn is a delightful character, I loved her humor. Even Elvira made me laugh many times. It was easy to slip into the minds of each character and see through their own eyes the events which were unfolding and taking place around them. Being a resident of the Niagara area it was wonderful to be able to picture in my mind all the places mentioned throughout the book. Sue has written an awesome story, definitely worth 5 stars and more. Cant wait to read the next one, hope there will be many more to come!
PAPERBACK

CAN SEBASTIAN'S SON'S DEADLY GIFT BE TREATED? - BRUTAL HEARTS BY PAUL NOSACH

Sebastian Masters now has a son, naming him child after him and needs the help of his roommate, Jaysen Stripe. Work has gotten in the way, and Sebastian has barely any time to see his beloved boy, unless he's sleeping or at the breakfast table.Soon both Dr. Masters and Jaysen discover something that Sebastian II is capable of doing and is very frightening. But how will they determine what it is? And furthermore, how can this child's deadly gift be treated?Sebastian Masters is forced to stop everything due to a job opportunity, which would uproot everything Dr. Sebastian Masters' father had ever built, and put him back in California. But will Sebastian Masters' choices lead him deeper into trouble? Or could this decision benefit him in unremarkable ways at the sacrifice of his son?

PAPERBACK
KINDLE

Sunday, February 16, 2020

A Dime is a Sign: Poems of Love and Loss (Feelings Into Words) by Award-winning author Sherrill S Cannon.

Synopsis:
A psychic medium once said that if you find a random dime, it is a sign that someone that you have loved and lost is thinking of you.

A Dime is a Sign Through Time

If you find a dime,
You will know that I’m
Sending thoughts of love
Through the veil of time.

Ten cents with a silver shine,
A sense sent you to help remind
That someone who left you behind
Is always living in your mind.

Sending love and vibes,
Felt as psychic sighs …
The ones that you miss,
Send you a kiss …

Sherrill S. Cannon’s second book of poetry contains messages written through the years in poetic form that put feelings into words. As a teacher, many of her poems helped counsel troubled teens and friends.

There are three sections in the book: Heads, Spinning, and Tails … (Love & Loss: Coin Toss?). The variety of lyrical poetry forms include free verse, blank verse, haiku, and sonnets, while some are just playing with words!

Hopefully, this is also a book of healing.
About the Author:
Sherrill S. Cannon, a former teacher and grandmother of ten, is the author of nine acclaimed rhymed children’s books, plus a recent award-winning book of poetry (A Penny for Your Thoughts), which together have received 63 national and international book awards since 2011. She also wrote seven published plays for elementary school children that have been performed in over 25 countries. Most of her children’s books emphasize consideration for others. Married for 58 years, she and her spouse are now retired, live in Pennsylvania, and travel in their RV from coast to coast, spending time with their children and grandchildren, and sharing her books along the way!
“A Dime is a Sign – Poems of Love and Loss” is the second collection of published poems by Sherrill S. Cannon. The book is divided into three sections: Heads (Love and Friendship), Spinning (Related Emotions), and Tails (Heartache and Anguish), that deal with emotions, plus a few poems sprinkled among them that are nature themed. Ms. Cannon’s poems are written in a way that even non-poets can easily understand and relate to. Whether dealing with issues pertaining to friendship, new love, lost love, enduring love, broken relationships, or death, there are poems in this book that will speak to you and possibly help you. Ms. Cannon’s verse is lively and upbeat reading, making the poems easy for readers to absorb and apply to what they are feeling in their own lives.
A Dime is a Sign: Poems of Love and Loss (Feelings Into Words) by Sherrill S. Cannon walks us through emotions that we all feel.
It is a glorious collection of some of the most beautiful poems of our generation.
There wasn’t one that didn’t strike some cord in my heart and soul, to lie there and make me weep for loss or fill my heart with the glory of love.
Some of those that struck me the deepest were ‘Wall of Apprehension,’ a poem of fear to allow another in. Perhaps, the other will reject what you are, or you will feel by their response that you were a bother. ‘You, Friendship – I Love,’ helped me to realize that my shutting others out, for fear that my gestures would be mistaken for something else and I would find despair in the trying. And ‘Premature Goodbye,’ hit a chord deep in me for all those that I walked away from or that walked away from me, without the chance of explanation or renewal.
Ms. Cannon, outdid herself ‘A Dime is a Sign’ for she speaks directly to our hearts and souls. Whether it be a love poem or a poem of loss and sadness, this book holds something that will touch everyone.
It is a book to be cherished, reread, and savored time and again, for, in it, we will find our common humanity, our dreams of love, fear of loss and rejection, the joy of being, and we will grow more fully as humans.

AMAZON

VOICES IN MY HEAD BY SUSAN LYNN SOLOMON IS A WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES THAT WILL KEEP YOU WANTING MORE

In The Magic of Murder, Susan Lynn Solomon let readers laugh at the antics of an albino cat and a witch. Now, in nine short tales she takes a serious look at relationships and their impact on characters who confront their pasts.

A young soldier returns, changed by his war. A young British girl faces the people of her town after parental abuse. An older man who as a teenager fled his hometown, returns when his childhood girlfriend begs a favor. A radical of the ’70s leaves the cemetery after her mother’s funeral, searching for where her life will lead.

In these stories and five others, Solomon explores the persistence of memory and the promise of hope.
AMAZON

GRIPPING TALE THAT COULD COME OUT OF REAL LIFE - BLAZING HEARTS BY PAUL NOSACH


Dr. Sebastian Masters has lost his job from Eastbridge hospital, due to insubordination. But now he has come across the perfect woman, Dawn Turlo, who would give him another opportunity - another job offer and his own building with staff. The only catch is marriage. But the problem lies deeper with Sebastian. He doesn't know how to love someone, and turns to his long-time friend, Jaysen Stripe for help.
Meanwhile, Adam Ludsgarden, Sebastian's nephew, has sunk deeper into depression due to the loss of his best friend Curtis Brown. Adam has secluded himself in his room and only comes out when necessary, and where Sebastian fails to try with him, Jaysen finds the proper words to sooth his pain.
But as Dawn starts to show her true colours and the way she feels, everything starts to spiral downward under the same roof. Can Sebastian hold everything together? Can he keep the peace? Can he keep his feelings in check after everything that had happened before with Jaysen? The suspicions grow intense, and finally Dawn Turlo is exposed to the truth. What Sebastian and Jaysen find out is astonishing.
Paul has written a book that will kepp you wondering whats gonna happen next. Sebastian and Dawn were ment to be, right? Read on
AMAZON

Saturday, February 15, 2020

A RIVETING ADVENTURE BY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR VIV DREWA - THE ANGLER AND THE OWL

For 25 years France Hunter has been studying owls, and has discovered five new species around the world. Her work has kept her busy and she never had time for a relationship. She travels with Jason “Doc” Bradley, a former paramedic, and his cousins Tony and Andy Bradley. Now, on her last outing she is joined by a magazine writer, Cathy Birch, and a world famous angler, John Sinclair, who has also dedicated his life to his field. As the small caravan travels to the Amazon river France falls and severely injures her left arm. Against Doc's recommendation to turn back, she pushes on. This is her last trip and she wants to go to the place where she found her first new owl. While fishing a blue-ringed owl lands on John's canoe and looks down the river to where France's group is, and then looks back at him. This alerts John. He gets the satellite phone and tries to reach her to no avail. He decides the fishing can wait and, with Mark in another canoe, begin the journey back to France. At France's camp two jaguars attack one of the boatmen severing his left leg. The other two boatmen, they all have rifles, shoot at the jaguars killing one. The other escapes with the boatman's leg. Doc and the others wake to the noise and he and Tony go to where the boatmen are camping. In the ruckus the canoes become untied and go eastward down the shore and the sat phone is destroyed. Now they have no way to get help and will have to wait for John's team to come back, which could take three or four more days. Will help get there in enough time?
This book was one riveting Adventure. When France Hunter and her crew head down the Amazon River with a well-known Angler and a magazine Crew looking to do an interview with her is when the adventure really starts. Stranded in the jungle after their canoes float away and their emergency phone is destroyed the crew struggles to survive after an attack by wild animals. Every good story needs to crisis to keep up the momentum and this book does not disappoint! Ms. Drewa has hit a home-run in her first foray in fiction! I give this 5 stars for being the rousing romantic adventure it is.
AMAZON

A MAGICAL, MYSTICAL, ROMANTIC, FANTASY, MURDER MYSTERY BY KAREN VAUGHAN


On the surface to think and watch the world go by, Mikayla a mermaid witnesses an violent act and is injured. Found by a tourist, Mikayla can't remember the event and who or even what she is. Can Damien and the police keep her safe while the bad guys try to find her? Get ready for mystery, fantasy and romance in one book!!!!
​I received this book as a gift from my sister and absolutely adored this story. Mikayla a mermaid is a bit bored with her life under the sea and unsure if she wants to marry, so she goes up to sit on her favorite rock on the surface. She witnesses a horrific blast and is injured, and found by a handsome stranger.


Unfortunately, she doesn't know who or what she is. Will she figure it out, and will the cops find a way to help her before the bad guys find her?

AMAZON KINDLE

Saturday, February 1, 2020

This future isn't just plausible. It's lurking just beneath the surface of our real-world present. The Divide by award-winning author Marta Moran Bishop

Marta Moran Bishop’s Darkness Descends is powerful, gripping work! It’s a compelling, sometimes scathing prequel to her first series title, The Between Times. Set in a dystopian city-state, Bishop indicts a patriarchal oligarchy that feeds a rape culture at the same time as it plots the overthrow of the rule of law with the anarchic rule of a well-managed mob psyche. The Roman people were given bread and circuses. The crowds in Darkness Descends are handed Rebecca, Jewell’s mother, and a crucial charter character of the series, who faces public torture, humiliation, assault, and finally, auto-da-fé, burning at the stake, which she accepts as her fate as the ultimate sacrifice for a greater good. Bishop pulls no punches. The blows land all the harder when one realizes she is not working solely from imagination. She has incorporated into her literary tapestry the warp of today’s culture, with the weft of actual history, including a chilling early Twentieth Century plot by brutal American financial moguls to overthrow the United States government. Who knew?! This book is devastating. I’m praying for an uplifting third installment to arrive in my Kindle soon, but given Bishop’s dim view of humanity and history, I’m not holding out too much hope for a Pixar ending. Every win in Bishop’s world comes at a great price, and the brilliant Darkness Descends is no exception. Of course, I absolutely can’t wait to see what Bishop will come up with next!
Robert Blake Whitehill, Author/Screenwriter - The Ben Blackshaw Series

What if...for the first time in the history of the United States we took a social and economic nose dive into oblivion? THE BETWEEN TIMES is just such a scenario. A story that reads like a folk tale from the past, but in reality is a fantastic possibility based on the choices available to us today.

The premise is nothing short of an incredible imagination as modern day Chicago fades into an evil darkness separated by a wall. A separateness ruled by the upper society that isolates and mistreats the poor. These less fortunate people, in a short amount of time find themselves forced to live in the lower communities suffering from mistreatment comparable only to the concentration camps during WWII. Women are no longer human beings, but are nothing more than breeding animals kept only to prevent extinction of the race. The conditions are bleak and seemingly hopeless.

It is the belief in a Legend that becomes the driving force behind the survival. A young girl named Jewel, living in the captivity of this devastating socioeconomic environment, is the dream. She manifests hope and magic from within this beautiful tale.

Fantastical, Magical, & Mystical in a story that will make you believe it is about a long forgotten past, but in reality is a possible future! I wholeheartedly recommend this remarkable highly imaginative novel!


The author weaves a deeply disturbing cautionary tale that serves as a warning for us all. In some ways, The Divide is like other books in the genre such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, in that it is dark and portrays one potential outcome if our country continues on its current path. This book is different, however, in one important way. Bishop craftily reminds us that the horrific future she describes isn't really much of a departure from the darker chapters of our own history. That fact alone chilled me to the core. Her future isn't just plausible. It's lurking just beneath the surface of our real-world present.

BOOK 1 DARKNESS DESCENDS PAPERBACK
BOOK 2 THE BETWEEN TIMES PAPERBACK
THE DIVIDE BOOK 1 AND 2 AUDIO
KINDLE - BOOK 1 AND 2 THE DIVIDE

A RIVETING ADVENTURE BY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR VIV DREWA - THE ANGLER AND THE OWL

For 25 years France Hunter has been studying owls, and has discovered five new species around the world. Her work has kept her busy and she never had time for a relationship. She travels with Jason “Doc” Bradley, a former paramedic, and his cousins Tony and Andy Bradley. Now, on her last outing she is joined by a magazine writer, Cathy Birch, and a world famous angler, John Sinclair, who has also dedicated his life to his field. As the small caravan travels to the Amazon river France falls and severely injures her left arm. Against Doc's recommendation to turn back, she pushes on. This is her last trip and she wants to go to the place where she found her first new owl. While fishing a blue-ringed owl lands on John's canoe and looks down the river to where France's group is, and then looks back at him. This alerts John. He gets the satellite phone and tries to reach her to no avail. He decides the fishing can wait and, with Mark in another canoe, begin the journey back to France. At France's camp two jaguars attack one of the boatmen severing his left leg. The other two boatmen, they all have rifles, shoot at the jaguars killing one. The other escapes with the boatman's leg. Doc and the others wake to the noise and he and Tony go to where the boatmen are camping. In the ruckus the canoes become untied and go eastward down the shore and the sat phone is destroyed. Now they have no way to get help and will have to wait for John's team to come back, which could take three or four more days. Will help get there in enough time?
This book was one riveting Adventure. When France Hunter and her crew head down the Amazon River with a well-known Angler and a magazine Crew looking to do an interview with her is when the adventure really starts. Stranded in the jungle after their canoes float away and their emergency phone is destroyed the crew struggles to survive after an attack by wild animals. Every good story needs to crisis to keep up the momentum and this book does not disappoint! Ms. Drewa has hit a home-run in her first foray in fiction! I give this 5 stars for being the rousing romantic adventure it is.
PAPERBACKKINDLE

"Another great installment in the Dark Knights of Heaven." His Soul to Save (Dark Knights of Heaven Book 3) by TW Knight

Soulless and exiled from Heaven the Dark Knights have spent millennia protecting humanity from Lucifer and his demons. But the longer they l...