I borrowed this book from the local library and read it on my Kindle.  It is about some of my favorite former TV characters, so I was already interested in reading it before I began.  I will give only a brief review so that I won’t give anything away.  I loved the Rizzoli and Isles series on TV, so of course I have read all of Tess Gerritsen’s series that include these characters. The latest book does not disappoint with action and has all of the regular characters in it. The premise is that a serial killer is now going around Boston and killing people in macabre ways that are reminders of the torture of saints. Jane has to work hard to make the connection to an earlier case and even harder to find who is actually the perpetrator since there are a lot of false leads. The title gives a hint at who the killer really is, but I was not able to guess, and I don’t think that you will be able to either. Great read, highly recommend!

Link for giveaway:  goo.gl/ZJceq

I am privileged to be a part of Debra Webb’s “Street Team” so as such, I received an ARC of THE LONGEST SILENCE, her fourth book in the Shades of Death series.  This book focuses on Tony LeDoux, the former FBI agent who is washed up because of his alcoholism.  However, he is called back into action when his niece is kidnapped from her college campus in Milledgeville, Georgia and his sister Angie calls him for his help.  This is a non-stop thriller about some really ruthless characters who have taken college girls for the last twenty years, raped and tortured them for two weeks and then set them free.  But for what purpose?  And who is responsible?  Enter Joanna Guthrie, a former victim who is determined to have revenge on those who held her captive and who did such horrible things to her and Ellen Carson and Carrie Cole twenty years ago.  Joanna is a reporter for an online paper and has been keeping up with the kidnappings and knows what is going on, so she teams up with Tony to find the perpetrators before it is too late.  This is a very dark mystery, with heartbreaking scenes of torture that the girls are enforced to endure and many twists and turns that Tony and Joanna have to follow to find the real criminals.  Tony finally ends up calling in reinforcements, in the form of Nick Shade and Bobbie Gentry.  Once they show up, the action goes really fast to an unbelievable conclusion.  Those who have read the other Shades of Death novels will not want to miss this one.  I will admit that Tony was not my favorite character previously, but the character development in this novel is so well done that he actually became a sympathetic character and by the end of the book, I liked  him.  This book is well-written and with so much going on constantly that you will not be able to put it down until you get to the end of it.  I even loved the “cameo” appearances of Nick and Bobbie since they were so central to the other books.  I hope to see all characters again in the future, because these characters and the action that they bring with them to the pages of a book will blow your mind as well as make you think about the evil in the world and how good triumphs over evil.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Merry Knight is working very hard for a temp agency so she can earn enough money to go back to college when her mom and brother Patrick decide to sign her up for the dating site Mix and Mingle. She is having a little trouble with her curmudgeonly boss who wants to follow all of the rules exactly to the letter. For example, Jayson Bright catches her working and eating lunch at her desk one day and quotes the rule book that says she is not allowed to do that. Merry continues to work cheerfully for him because it is not in her nature to hold a grudge, but she really doesn’t like him much. She does look forward to going home each evening and going online to communicate with her new friend Jay who is kind and thoughtful and seems to be made for her. Of course, everyone can guess where this is going. Jay is none other than Jayson Bright, and he is not so enthused about the girl that he has met online is none other than the office temp. Will it work out in the end? If you have read Macomber’s books before, you can guess the ending, but you have to read it to find out exactly how it works out. This is an excellent, fun and quick read for the holidays and I highly recommend it! I appreciate  the publisher and Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to review the book before publication.

It has been almost a year since I have driven alone, and today I bit the so-called bullet and hopped behind the driver’s seat of my Toyota and off I went.  I had to go by the high school to sign a recommendation paper for a former student, but then I decided to stay out for a few hours to celebrate my new freedom.  So, here I am at the library and feeling very free, and not at all stressed about driving.  You see, the truth is, before, each time I got behind the wheel, I tensed up and by the time I had driven a short distance I had a headache.  Not good for a  stroke survivor!  Yesterday I drove to church with Harry and then did our errands afterwards, and didn’t feel stressed.  Thus I decided it was time for this bird to jump out of the nest and fly away.  I feel so free…I just can’t tell you.  No, I am not ready for the interstate, or any road with a lot of traffic, for that matter.  But I drove myself around today and I am feeling very independent and like I am finally getting some part of my life back that I lost over two and a half years ago when I had my stroke.  The devastation stole the food I loved to eat, my ability to think clearly at times and my independence.  But after today, I can say that I can go where I need to go when I need to go there (as long as highway driving is not involved).  And I am happily going to celebrate by spending time at one of my favorite places, the library!

This book is for grades 5-9 and I am very grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read it in advance.  It will be available to the public on October 3rd.

Nikki Demere is a “throwaway kid” who has been in the foster system since her grandmother died and her father has been in prison. She fully expected her dad to rescue her from foster care, but he never showed up, and the times when she went to foster care, she has been returned. So at the age of thirteen, she is surprised when director Wainwright calls her into her office for a meeting and tells her that she has been chosen to live with a new family. Then, she meets two U.S. Marshalls and knows this is no ordinary family. Nikki becomes part of WITSEC, but not as a witness; she is part of a project to help protect a family in the program from the dangerous Italian mafia-type family that is determined to find and kill them. The Cercatores are looking for a family of three, not four, so Nikki will be there to help the family’s cover and also to help the Marshalls watch out for the family since she is street savvy and has some very unusual talents. So, she and the family study their roles and off they go to Durham, North Carolina to enroll in a new middle school and start a new life. Nikki’s new name is Charlotte (like the spider) and her brother is Jackson. Jackson is a pain in the neck who hates being in WITSEC and does everything he can to make the program self-destruct. Harriet, the mom, and Jonathan, the dad, are typical parents, except for the fact that Harriet’s brother is a mobster who wants her dead. The whole book is a hilarious romp through the eyes of a teen who is determined to save her new family. The stories of bullying and fitting in at middle school are true to life and seem to really represent things that could actually happen with mean girls and curious boys. Middle school readers from grades 5-9 will love this high-interest tale of an unlikely heroine who just wants a family to call her own.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Every Christian faces doubts about his/her faith walk at some time in life and Joyce Meyer’s latest book UNSHAKEABLE TRUST addresses how one can face these doubts, Bible in hand and prayer in the heart. Ms. Meyer honestly approaches the topic and is not afraid to admit that she has faced doubts in her own life and how she has overcome them. But she also admits that it is a daily battle because we must overcome Satan daily. Her advice is practical and Biblical, and this one-of-a-kind book is one that every Christian should have on the shelf to refer to when the doubts come. I particularly enjoyed the definititons of faith as a noun and trust as an action verb. I also enjoyed the life stories that Ms. Meyer shared that made the teachings that she was sharing more real and applicable to life. Each chapter begins with a Scripture and Ms. Meyer instructs the reader how to pray through the lack of faith until victory is achieved. I enjoyed the book and appreciated the chance to read it, since I have difficulty with doubt. I say I have faith, but as Ms. Meyer points out, we frequently have faith for a limited amount of time, and out schedule is not always that of the Lord. Her insight is thought provoking and will stay with me for a long time. I read the e-book for Netgalley, but I would like a hard copy of the book as a reference tool, just to remind myself that I can have “Unshakeable Trust” in an Almighty God who loves me and wants the best for me.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

In 2002 I first became a grandmother and decided that I would be called “Nanna.”  I did not realize how much these little people would get into my mind and heart, but they have become so much a part of me that my prayers are with them constantly.  I have three children:  Hope, Scott and Steven.  They have blessed me with nine grandchildren and I will try to write about them in birth order. First was Isaac, who is in high school for the first time this year.  Isaac is garrulous and loves video games and Boy Scouts.  He enjoys watching “Monk” with me when he visits and likes to go off on adventures with his grandfather.  He loves to do math problems but he doesn’t like reading much, even though I have tried to tell him how important it is. Tyler followed a month later and is extremely bright and reclusive, but also very strong and athletic.  He is a great soccer player, or so I have heard.  I have never actually been able to attend a match. He reads constantly and is very good at putting things together, from legos to robots.  Our first princess arrived next-Iris.  Iris is special in many ways, not the least of which is that she is autistic and does not speak much.  I am always hopeful that she will one day come out of her shell and just start to speak her mind, but so far that has not happened.  It is heartbreaking, but it is a matter of daily prayer, also. Teya came a few months after Iris.  Teya is athletic and quiet and thoughtful.  She is the first one to notice if someone needs something and also the first one to run to her mom to get help. Teya is devoted to whatever her current interest is and right now that is gymnastics; she is very good at it and spends hours practicing so that she will be better.  Teryn was born next and I call her Ter-Bear because she has always wanted to cuddle, since the first time I held her.  She still cuddles, but she also likes to read voraciously, devouring all books that she can find. She is also a gymnast like her big sister Teya and practices hard and cheerfully.  Little Tinslea came next and is my namesake, so of course she is special.  Her mom Hope says she is like me in a lot of ways, the bad ones.  She is stubborn and  precocious all at the same time.  And she is very smart about it!  (Sounds a lot like me.)  After Tinslea was Penny who now says that she is a “big, strong girl” as she climbs a rock above her six-foot daddy Steven’s head.  She is a little daredevil who has captured my heart with her smile and her curls, not to mention her teasing sense of humor that is way above her age level. She and I share a banana and cuddles each morning when we visit Maryland, and she enjoys reading stories and going to the “libelly”.  (library). After Penny was born, Tessa Serenity went to Heaven to be with Jesus before I got to meet her.  I know she will be a special treasure to meet once I get there.  Finally, but not least, there is Teagan, the little eight-month old who has just recently learned to crawl and is now beginning to stand up.  Born at Christmas time, Teagan Noelle is a gift to all of us but especially to her mom Hope, with her one dimple that is always smiling and her easy temperament. She has a second mom in Teya, a third mom in Teryn and a would-be mom with Tinslea. So she has ample caregivers!  And Tyler has been known to come out of his bedroom to walk her around and talk to her, too.  So, you see, I am a blessed Nanna, with alliteration:  I have I’s in one family, T’s in another and one P in another.  Steven and his wife Nina say they will have more (oh happy day for me!) but they don’t plan on following the whole alliteration thing.  Oh, well.  I can live with that, as long as I am Nanna!

Dean Koontz writes horror fiction that makes you think.  Well, his newest book not only makes you think, it makes you think, “Oh, no!  This could really happen!”  Jane Hawk is an FBI agent married to a career military man with a small son when the unthinkable happens.  Nick commits suicide, for apparently no reason.  And Jane is determined to find out why.  But her investigation puts her and Travis in danger, so she hides Travis in a safe space with friends and sets out on her own to find out how it is possible for so many people to suddenly commit suicide. Her investigation leads her to California and some really strange people who are doing more than messing with people’s minds.  Jane is more in danger every day as she gets closer to the truth, and she does not have the FBI behind her any more.  In fact, she is on the FBI’s list of Most Wanted for the actions she has had to take to get to the bottom of the criminal enterprise that is controlling people’s minds.  Jane is a heroine who will not be stopped and the book is one that you won’t be able to put down.  From the beginning to the end, it will grab you and capture your attention.  This is a thriller that you will not want to end and when it does, you will be waiting breathlessly for the next installment.

I think that I have always enjoyed reading, or at least I cannot remember a time when I did not like it. I was born with asthma so I was limited in the number of activities I was allowed to do, and reading was a safe one for me, so I immersed myself in books from a very young age.  I read all of the Bobbsey Twin books, then went on to read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.  I shared my mother’s love of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney.  For a while, when I was a young wife, I read a lot of romance, including Danielle Steel and others.  I now read a lot of Christian fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and some non-fiction occasionally.  I read a lot of books from the library and post reviews on Goodreads.  I also read for Netgalley and love to be chosen to read some of the latest books before they are available to the general public.  So, I will share some reviews here as well as some of the happenings of my daily life that keep me reading as an escape.  I relax with a good book and forget that I had a stroke and could die any day, or maybe not.  I count my blessings daily that I have lived this long and that I have lived to see the birth of eight grandchildren and have enjoyed so many books. I am just taking one day at a time and one book at a time and loving the life that God has given me.