Trick or Treat Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery #3) by Leslie Meier

Trick or Treat Murder by Leslie Meier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Haunted-house parties and ghostly galas…grinning pumpkins, mayhem and murder. It’s going to be one heck of a Halloween for Lucy Stone and Tinker’s Cove…

It’s October in Maine, and everyone in Tinker’s Cove is preparing for the annual Halloween festival. While Lucy Stone is whipping up orange-frosted cupcakes, recycling tutus for her daughters’ Halloween costumes, helping her son with his pre-teen rebellion, and breast-feeding her brand-new bay, an arsonist is loose in Tinker’s Cove. When the latest fire claims the life of the owner of the town’s oldest house, arson turns into murder…

While the townsfolk work to transform a dilapidated mansion into a haunted house for the All-Ghouls festival, the hunt for the culprit heats up. Trick-or-treat turns deadly as a little digging in all the wrong places puts Lucy too close to a shocking discovery that could send all her best-laid plans up in smoke…

~~~

Another good read in the Lucy Stone Mystery series. I like Lucy probably because she is just a regular housewife with 4 kids and all the typical problems those of us in her situation have. I did not know who done it till the end, but I had my suspicions. Looking forward to more in the Lucy Stone cozy series.



View all my reviews

Tippy Toe Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery #2) by Leslie Meier

Tippy Toe Murder by Leslie Meier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


With three kids underfoot, a fourth on the way, and an oppressive heat wave bearing down, homemaker Lucy Stone is hardly enjoying an idyllic summer. But her preoccupation with swelling ankles, Bavarian creme doughnut cravings, and sewing endless sequins on ballet recital tutus gives way to dread when Lucy learns that her waistline isn’t the only thing that’s recently vanished from Tinker’s Cove…

The strange disappearance of a retired dance instructor has the tiny coastal town in a tizzy that turns to terror when a notoriously cantankerous shopkeeper is slain right on Main Street. Now Lucy’s up to her bulging belly in local suspects and red herrings. Eluded by a cold-blooded killer, with her due-date looming and the thermometer soaring, Lucy figures something has to break soon. With any luck, it won’t be her water…

~~~

I enjoyed this second book in the Lucy Stone mystery series. Lucy Stone is a likable chatterer. The story was a bit dark as it deals with domestic abuse. The mystery itself kept me guessing to the end.



View all my reviews

Winter's Storm: Retribution (Winter's Saga #2) by Karen Luellen

Winter's Storm: Retribution by Karen Luellen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Born into evil.
Raised for violence.
Searching for truth.

~~~~

In the second book of Winter’s Saga we meet Creed Young. He’s a metahuman, like Meg, Alik and Evan Winter, but unlike the Winter children, Creed wasn’t rescued by a goodhearted doctor from the experiments and traumas at the hands of the evil Dr. Williams. No, Creed wasn’t that lucky. Instead, he was raised along with hundreds of other metasoldiers in a militant compound to be a lethal, bloodthirsty assassin. His first assignment: To kill the thief, Margo Winter, who stole three children from Dr. Williams’ institute twelve years ago, and return those stolen assets.

~~~



A great continuation of the Winter family saga. I would have to say that I enjoyed this one as much, if not a little more, than the first in the series. The plot is smooth and the characters are likable. I am glad that we got to know the other characters in the book besides Meg and the introduction of Creed was a great addition to the story.

Still a couple problems with the editing that takes away from the reading of the story. Wrong usage of homonyms, awkward switch of POV and one very obvious mistake in character name which prevents me from giving the book 5 stars, but overall a very enjoyable read and one that will have me buying the next book in the series.



View all my reviews


**Kindle Edition

Child of the May (Forestwife Saga #2) by Theresa Tomlinson

Child of the May by Theresa Tomlinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When Magda was just a baby, her mother was murdered, and her father John brought her to live in the woods with the Forestwife. Here she learned to heal sick people and became skillful in archery and fighting. Now Magda wants a life of adventure beyond the forest. When word comes that Lady Matilda and her daughter Isabelle are being held captive by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, Magda is ready. This is the chance of a lifetime to join forces with her father John, and the mysterious Robin Hood and his band of outlaws. Little does Magda know that this is also a chance to come face to face with the scoundrel who murdered her mother.

~~~



While this book started out very slowly and the main character, Magda, is very unlikable (selfish and whinny), about mid way through the book we get back into what made Forestwife so enjoyable. The struggle of the forest folk against the king. Definitely picked up the pace and regained the emotional connection that the beginning of the book had not supplied for me. I am looking forward to finding and reading the last book in this trilogy.



View all my reviews

12|21|12 by Larry Enright

12|21|12 by Larry Enright

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The world ends for someone every day. One day it will end for everyone.



I am a huge fan of post-apocalyptic books so relished the idea of reading this one. Overall I was drawn into the book. I enjoyed the fact that the author introduced us to the survivors one at a time as they came together. I was intrigued as the Survivors attempted to figure out what was happening. I was interested in the theories that Loeb was putting together, and then the end came along and I was left feeling shell struck and wondering, "What just happened?". I understand what the author was doing, but I was left a little disappointed that so many things were being left to my imagination. I almost felt like I was left to write the ending myself and decide what had happened and I am not sure that I like that. Overall a good read and I would recommend it as a quick, somewhat thought provoking read.



View all my reviews

**Kindle Edition

The Trouble With Magic (A Bewitching Mystery #1) by Madelyn Alt

The Trouble With Magic by Madelyn Alt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Antiques-shop clerk Maggie O'Neill was a little weirded out when she discovered her new boss Felicity was a witch. But when Felicity becomes the suspect in a local murder, Maggie must enlist Felicity's wiccan friends for help--and discover her own spellbinding talent.~~~



This book was really slow for me. I had a hard time staying interested. I liked the characters and the premise of the book, but the execution was not great for me. The author's writing style was a bit too wordy for me. Overly descriptive in some areas and repetitive in others. I was expecting a paranormal cozy mystery but ended up feeling like I got an intro course in New Age/Mysticism instead. The mystery itself seemed to be a background for Maggie's discovery of 'magic'. (I use the word magic loosely as I feel like it is more about religion than magic in some ways.) I did however like the characters and am hoping that future books in the series get better. I like the mysterious Marcus and the stormy beginning for Maggie and Tom. The intro to the NIGHTS left a lot of possibilities for future characters. So while I may not jump right on the next book in the series, I will eventually get back to it.




View all my reviews

Crave (The Fallen Angels #2) by J.R. Ward

Crave by J.R. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds- barred battle between a fallen angel with a hardened heart and a demon with everything to lose.

Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that's before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.
~~~

Before I get into how much I enjoyed this book I have to give kudos to Ms. Ward for her wonderful ability to create a world and draw her readers into it. In both this series and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series she creates an intricate world where the reader becomes immersed in the lives of the characters in such a way as to create emotional ties between the reader and the characters in the books.

I loved this 2nd book in the Fallen Angel series. I went into this book wondering to myself how in the world was Ms. Ward going to be able to write a book in this series where the good guys lose one. We fall in love with the main characters and how would she ever be able to write a believable story where these much loved characters end up turning away from good and joining the evil team. I mean good can not always triumph, as much as we would all love for that to be the case. So somewhere along the line the demon has to win a soul or two. Well my question was answered and with a twist that just seemed so fitting, but still leaves us breathless to see what happens next!

Love this series and this author!!



View all my reviews

The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free.

For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

~~~

Maybe I was expecting too much going in because of the rave reviews that I have read but I was a bit disappointed with this book. The prose was bit too much. The author seemed to be trying too hard to make this a deep book, but it is about the end of the world as we know it and it did not fit for me. Another thing that bugged me was that the main character was a 15 year old girl, born 10 years after the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, who is not educated, in fact does not know how to read, but has a very extensive vocabulary. Overall it was an okay read, but not the best zombie novel I have read.



View all my reviews