Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Love Finds You in Revenge, Ohio

by Lisa Harris

She’s been jilted twice, and Catherine Morgan has no intention of letting it happen again. Every man in her life has failed her – including her father, whose abandonment left her responsible for her three younger sisters and her mother. She’s vowed off of love and marriage and devoted herself to running the family’s general store and keeping her sisters safe and happy until they find good husbands to take over the job.

Things are handled. Everything’s going smoothly.

Then Sheriff Corbin Hunter shows up in the small town of Revenge, Ohio and turns Catherine’s world on end. He left her once, and now she must decide whether she can trust him again – this time, with her sister’s heart. Corbin’s evidence points to Audrey’s fiancĂ© as the head of an infamous criminal gang. In her efforts to prove otherwise and save her sister from heartbreak, Catherine finds her own heart responding once again to the man who jilted her seven years ago.

As if Corbin’s reappearance isn’t upheaval enough, news of their father’s death arrives to further upset the Morgan sisters. Though Catherine has no love left for Isaiah Morgan, who couldn’t be bothered to be a husband and father, she must deal with her sisters’ grief and her own lingering resentment.

Corbin Hunter wants the man who killed his father, and he’ll let nothing and no one—certainly not the girl who broke his heart seven years ago—stand in his way. His desire for revenge could cost him the love of his life.

Love Finds You in Revenge Ohio is packed with the essentials of good reading: fun, faith, mystery, romance, bad bad guys and a heroic hero. Well written, with lots of plot twists to keep those pages turning, details authentic to the time period, likeable (and some not-so-likeable) characters, and the kind of ending that makes for loyal readers. Good stuff!

Delia Latham

Face Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Title: Face Time
Author:
Hank Phillippi Ryan
ISBN # 978-0-7783-2718-9
Publisher: MIRA Books

(A Harlequin Imprint)

Charlotte McNally is at it again, only this time she’s after a boost in the Nielsen ratings when mysteriously, a tape winds up in her possession that will prove confessed killer, Dorinda Sweeney, could not have possibly murdered her husband four years earlier. So why is the convicted woman still professing her guilt?

“Charlie’s” journalistic senses pick up on the story of a lifetime, delving into the seemingly closed case with her witty, yet stubborn determination to shed light on the truth. But the lead prosecutor in the Sweeney case, now running for Governor, is demanding “Charlie” back off. Instead of doing that, though, his persistence only heightens “Charlie’s” instincts that she’s on the right track and there’s no way she’s going to back down on this one!

Though the romance is heating up, “Charlie” is also trying to deal with her questionable future with Josh because his daughter defiantly causes friction on their relationship. And with her mother’s demands while recuperating from unnecessary surgery, “Charlie’s” stress level is constantly in “peak mode”.

But when other people involved in the Sweeney case start turning up dead, Charlie knows she’s hit a nerve, but can she prove they have the wrong person behind bars without making herself another target for the real killer first?

I loved the first book in this series, Prime Time, and hoped Ryan would not disappoint me on this second installment. Hank Ryan’s not only written yet another action-packed, suspense novel, she’s outdone herself with Face Time. Having the journalistic background on her side, Ms. Ryan is able to write a “could really happen” gripping storyline with likeable (and not so likeable) characters readers can relate to.

Brilliantly weaving the personal life of her heroine into the background of the story only adds to the strength in Ryan’s writing ability. Her plots are captivating, her characters are realistic and the surprising twists in her storyline draws the reader in to a life behind the scenes of what one won’t see when watching the ten o’clock news report.

I love it when a series only gets better, a difficult task for any writer to accomplish, but Hank Ryan breezes through with top-notch literary skills. Her creativity with her characters is fantastic and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series to see what “Charlie’s” gotten herself entangled into next.

Bookpleasures
Reviewed by: Cindy Bauer (August 25, 2009)

Cindy Bauer is the well-seasoned author of the Memory Box Trilogy, Chasing Memories (2006 & 2008), Shades of Blue (2007 & 2008) and Crystal Clear (2009), an Inspirational Fiction series. She is an avid reader, a freelance writer and editor, and reviews for both Bookpleasures.com and New Leaf Press. She recently joined the staff at Visual Arts Junction and contributes articles on writing, publishing and marketing works. With the completion of her Inspirational series, Cindy plans to write in the mystery/suspense genre, which is her favorite to read and review.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Martha Ramirez/Review blog

I'd like to invite you to come and follow me at my review blog at: www.Martzreviewz.blogspot.com

The Secret To Teen Power


Author: Paul Harrington

ISBN: 978-1-416-99498-5
Publisher: Simon Pulse

The Secret to Teen Power is a remarkable guide to success, dreams, and happiness. It is an easy read, but yet extremely informative. Even though this book is targeted for teens, adults can also grow and gain knowledge of what the law of attraction is and how it can transform their lives.

No matter what your background is, The Secret can enhance, if not change your life for the better. With faith, perseverance, and the knowledge of The Secret, anything is possible, regardless of your age or ethnicity. There are no boundaries to what you can become, that is if you truly believe in your dreams and desires.

Rhonda Byrne's original publication, the original Secret, inspired this guide for teens to be born. It promises to follow the path of The Secret and motivates teens to bring happiness and harmony to every aspect of their lives. Paul Harrington, producer of The Secret film and author of The Secret to Teen Power, dreams to help teens understand The Secret so that their able to do or be anything their heart longs for.

For today's teens, a perfect guide how to make things happen according to ones will and how to invite positive energy when dealing with issues like schoolwork, relationships, acquaintances, and self-worth.

The book includes personal testimonies of actual teens which demonstrate how learning the power of The Secret can improve and bring dreams to life. In each of its ten chapters you'll learn how The Secret was revealed and how it is made simple. You'll also learn ways how to apply The Secret to your life and the power it possesses.

Whether its money, relationships, or good health, this guide breaks it down in simple ways to achieve your desires. Discover The Secret to the world and The Secret to you. But most importantly learn The Secret to life. Sound too good to be true? Unleash the truth and learn what others have been practicing for centuries. Make your dreams a reality, after all if you don't take control of what you want in life no one else will.

Recently, The Secret was named by USA Today as one of the top 20 bestselling books over the past 15 years. Through author Rhonda Byrne's vision, she brought joy to millions. It transformed billions around the world. If that doesn't say anything I don't know what does.Ask, believe, and receive in limitless ways. Truly, another gem waiting to be discovered.

Reviewed by Martha Ramirez
http://www.bookpleasures.com/
Come and follow me at: www.Martzreviewz.blogspot.com

Friday, August 14, 2009

Love's Rescue

by Tammy Barley

It’s 1863. To escape the ravages of war, Jessica Hale’s family leaves their beloved home in Kentucky for a new life in the Nevada Territory.

Jessica’s brother, Ambrose, is determined to help defend their southern homestead. Against his father’s wishes, the young man joins ranks with the Kentucky militia and returns to the south. When Ambrose goes missing in the midst of the War Between the States, Jessica’s attempts to find him set off a chain of events that will change her life forever.

In the wake of a close encounter with political fanatics, Jessica loses everything that matters and then finds herself spirited away to a remote ranch in the Sierra Nevada wilderness. There, Jessica’s every effort to escape is thwarted by handsome rancher Jake Bennett and his loyal cattlemen.

Jake knows what it’s like to lose everything. He’s determined to protect Jessica through her time of loss. There are those who would harm the young woman for nothing more than being a Southerner, and Jake and his men have no intention of allowing that to happen. Still, how can he help Jessica’s wounded heart to heal when she so deeply resents him for what she perceives as his failure to save her family? He can’t make her see the truth, but he can protect her, and he can pray while her eyes are opened and her broken heart mends.

Tammy Barley’s action-packed debut novel is wonderfully rich in historical detail. It’s a tightly woven, riveting tale of love and loss, faith under fire, and wild hearts on the run. As the author unfolds this spellbinding story, a vivid picture of life in the Old West is revealed with stunning clarity and depth. Love’s Rescue provides everything a reader expects from this era: cowboys and Indians, damsels in distress, good guys and bad hombres, gunfights and moonlit nights. The last page leaves the reader longing for more of Jess and Jake. It’s an absolute must-read for the lover of historical romance.

A masterpiece of storytelling intricately woven with spiritual wisdom and insight, and threaded throughout with the good, the bad, and the ugly of love, life, and humanity.


Bravo, Ms. Barley!


Sunday, August 2, 2009

Review - Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes

by Robin Jones Gunn


Abnormal.


The moment Summer Finley hears that word in connection with medical tests, her world changes. Having seen “abnormal” results finally take her mother’s life, she finds herself emotionally unable to face the possibilities innate in the ugly term. Her reaction is to make an uncharacteristically spur-of-the-moment trip to the Netherlands. She’ll deal with the interminable period of waiting for biopsy results after this long-anticipated trip. Never having met her pen pal and best friend since fourth grade, Noelle Van Zandt, Summer determines to wait no longer.


She arranges for one week with this friend she knows so well, yet not at all. Summer and Noelle make the most of every moment. In the process, they learn a lot about one another … and perhaps even more about themselves.


A field of tulips, a cup of rich Dutch cocoa, a wooden-shoe boat on an Amsterdam canal, a tour through Corrie ten Boom’s Hiding Place, a visit to a unique farmhouse full of special women … each visit, every experience opens Summer’s heart and mind to a greater trust and faith in God. Noelle, too, confronts painful ghosts from her past and learns valuable lessons in release and forgiveness.


By the time Summer returns home to face her future, both she and her life-long friend have a new understanding of their heavenly Father’s grace and love—and a deeper, closer relationship with each other. With God’s ever-perfect timing, He brings these sisterchicks together at a time when they need each other most.


Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes is a fun, touching, sometimes poignant look at learning to let go and let God. Robin Jones Gunn, with typical excellence, includes humor and angst, history and progress, love and the things that test it. Dotted with wonderful geographical and historical detail, it’s a beautiful snapshot of friendship—what it means to be a friend, and what it means to have one.


An unforgettable, undeniable, absolutely perfect Dutch treat!


Delia Latham

Review - The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn

by Liz Johnson

Myles Parsons is trouble. Kenzie knows it from the time he walks into her prison GED class, upsetting her routine with his piercing blue eyes and impertinent smile. Small she may be, but Kenzie Thorn is no pushover. She can be sweet, but she can be spicy as well, and the saucy redhead has no intention of allowing an inmate—even one as handsome as her new student—to intimidate her.


But Myles does much worse. When he kidnaps her, then tries to convince her he’s Myles Borden, an undercover FBI agent whose goal is to keep her safe from someone who wants her dead, Kenzie has a hard time believing him. But then he places himself in mortal danger protecting her … why would he do such a thing, if he’s really out to do her harm? When she tries to return the favor by tending to his wounds, Kenzie finds her heart could be in far more danger from Myles than her body ever was.

Myles’ plan included removing Kenzie from harm’s way, then removing himself from her vicinity, no matter how cute, angry or frightened she is. But circumstances get in the way, and he finds himself thrust into the company of the sweet and spicy GED instructor longer than is safe for his heart. As she tends to his physical wounds, and he strives to keep her safe from an unknown enemy, Myles finds himself falling in love.

Liz Johnson’s debut novel is a charmingly sweet romance with just the right dose of mystery and suspense. From prison to mountain cabin, and back to city streets that harbor dangerous unseen assailants, Ms. Johnson takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotion and action that keeps the pages turning fast enough to stir up a whirlwind of anticipation and interest. A well-written tale with a number of unexpected twists along the way.

Beautifully done!