The Impossible Wish by Christine Nolfi Review

About This Book

Hector Levendakis has failed at every job he’s taken on. Now he’s determined to do something right.The notorious swindler and master of disguise Wish Kaminsky is about to arrive in Liberty and that means trouble. Liberty is the town that open-heartedly welcomed her daughter. Recently engaged, Birdie has turned her life around—and Wish is the last person she wants to see.When Hector learns of the reward posted for the capture of Wish, he leaves Philadelphia to take up the challenge. Haunted for years by an inescapable guilt, he’s seeking redemption by bringing the con woman to justice.The hunt for Wish brings Birdie and Hector together in a story of friendship and trust. As they try to set things right, each will discover that dreams are possible when friends join together and lovers forgive in equal measure.

My Review:
I have never hand the pleasure of reading this author before, however I am so glad that I did. Christine has a was of making her characters come to life and likable. Even though this is book three I did not feel as though I was missing any information. Hector was a great character and I have a feeling that we will see more of him in book four. I enjoyed the mother/ daughter relationship and it was interesting to read about them "trying to get along". There is a lot more to this book, including flash mobs, lies and a villain in a ski mask. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry, however all opinions are my own.

Sunspots By Karen S. Bell Review

A love story of loss and redemption and the ghosts that haunt our lives and   our houses.

Sunspots is personal. A personal journey of grieving, a personal journey of self-discovery, and a personal journey geographically. A young woman from Brooklyn, Aurora, a man from Austin, Texas,

Jake, meet accidentally in NYC and it changes the trajectory of their lives. Aurora decides to grab on to what she perceives may be her only chance at the comfy married existence that has so far eluded her. It is also no hardship to leave NYC and her stalled acting career for this apparently wealthy, dynamic, handsome lover who whisks her off her feet. But after the honeymoon, reality sets in and she realizes that marriage can be isolating, and that the socio-economic differences between her and Jake can become a wedge. How can Aurora adjust to these changes? How can she regain the independent personality she had before Jake became her only focus in life?
Fast forward two years, and Aurora finds herself a widow. An accident. Unexpected. And then her journey becomes one of accepting the harsh reality of encounters with Jake's ghost, the real nature of her time travel experiences, and Jake's true character. Viola Parker is her guide through these episodes not of this world. Viola, a ghost who has a connection with Aurora's past lives, leads her to find, Cliff, her true soulmate, her true love in this life erasing the pain of her mistakes with Jake Stein through the centuries. Sometimes from the ashes, sometimes from blackness awaits the brilliant light of a life of happiness.

My Review:

I was with my mom when my dad died, and I don't know who I feel worse for. To see my mom lose the love that she picked to spend the rest of her life with, or to lose my dad. As I read through this book I was crying with Aurora and I was so mad when she was betrayed. This is the kind of book where I forged a friendship with the main character and I felt as though I was living her life with her. The "spirits" added an additional twist to Aurora's suffering. I liked the ending and thought that it was great fit for the book. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from Orangeberry, however all opinions are my own.

The Book of Paul by Richard Long Review

In the rubble-strewn wasteland of Alphabet City, a squalid tenement conceals a treasure “beyond all imagining”– an immaculately preserved, fifth century codex. The sole repository of ancient Hermetic lore, it contains the alchemical rituals for transforming thought into substance, transmuting matter at will…and attaining eternal life.

When Rose, a sex and pain addicted East Village tattoo artist has a torrid encounter with Martin, a battle-hardened loner, they discover they are unwitting pawns on opposing sides of a battle that has shaped the course of human history. At the center of the conflict is Paul, the villainous overlord of an underground feudal society, who guards the book’s occult secrets in preparation for the fulfillment of an apocalyptic prophecy.

The action is relentless as Rose and Martin fight to escape Paul’s clutches and Martin’s destiny as the chosen recipient of Paul’s sinister legacy.  Science and magic, mythology and technology converge in a monumental battle where the stakes couldn’t be higher: control of the ultimate power in the universe–the Maelstrom.

The Book of Paul is the first of seven volumes in a sweeping mythological narrative tracing the mystical connections between Hermes Trismegistus in ancient Egypt, Sophia, the female counterpart of Christ, and the Celtic druids of Clan Kelly.

My Review:

This is one of the best bloodstained books that I have read in awhile. This is definitely not a book to read late at night when you are home alone. I love Stephen King books and I love the National Treasure movies. This book combines them both. My only regret is that this is not a movie. Yet. I can not wait until this author writes more in the series. 

Honest Sid by Ronald Probstein Review

If you’re going to live outside the law, you’d better be honest. This seeming paradox was the operating principle of Sid Probstein’s life. Guileless and endlessly optimistic, he was known as Honest Sid around his stomping ground of New York’s Broadway. Sid wasn’t a tough guy, or even a bad guy. He just never had the patience for the “straight” life, grinding out a living at some monotonous desk job.

He was the quintessential American dreamer, always sure that the good life was just one big score away, a man who never stopped believing in his own good luck, even when the evidence said otherwise. He had all the tools, he was charming, good-looking, quick-witted and decent, but he had an obsession he couldn’t escape.

Honest Sid is the story of an American archetype as seen through the eyes of his son, Ronald, who loved him, and who almost lost him. It follows Sid’s adventures in the world of bookies and bettors, fighters and fixers, players and suckers set against the often-romanticized backdrop of Depression-era New York. It is also the passionate tale of the great and tempestuous love between Sid and his wife Sally, and of his son Ronald whom he idolized.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Biographies & Memoirs 

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Prof. Ronald Probstein on Facebook & Twitter

My Review:

This is a book about a child's admiration for his father. Sid is a Gambler. He gambles with money, and the well being of his family. However he is also a smooth talker and all around nice guy. What normally seems like breaking the law, seems like an addiction for Sid. The beginning was slow to get started. Ronald is writing a memoir about his father, before Ronald is born, and that is why the beginning was not that involved. As the book progressed and Ronald's memories were clearer the book was more enjoyable. I am giving this book a 3/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

Running Against Traffic by Gaelen VanDenbergh Review

Running Against Traffic

Paige Scott is done in. Done for. Done with it. Having spent her childhood shuffled between relatives who ignored her, and her adult life hiding within the walls of her relationships with men, she is prepared to live out her empty days in her crumbling marriage to David Davenport. David has other plans, however, and flings her into a remote, impoverished world, in stark contrast to the wealthy cosmopolitan one that was all she knew. Here she is forced to face the betrayals of her past and learn, for the first time, how to care for herself, and for others.

Hilarity and tragedy, addictions, unexpected friendships, and Paige’s discovery of running and the relief it brings propel her on her journey toward the mending of a broken spirit, and learning how to truly live. Step by step, mile by mile.

My Review:

This was a good book about how strong a woman can be. Especially when she thinks that she has nothing left. Her husband dumped her, both in a dilapidated house and out of his life, and did not care how she was or how much money she has. What David does not realize is that he did not deserve Paige and he gives her the last push she needs to be the woman she wants to be. I love using my hands to build things, including puzzles, and model airplanes. I thought about how I feel when I have a finished project, and that is how I think Paige felt as she finished projects around her house. As she repaired herself she also repaired her new home. I also liked the ending. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from Orangeberry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

Order of Earth by Jennifer Cornet Review

For Onyx Bay, what started as a cathartic ink session takes an unexpected turn when a specialized blood test at the tattoo parlor reveals her true identity, which threatens to turn her entire world upside down. When Onyx learns that she is the descendant of a fantastical race of creatures who control the global elements, she discovers that her own blood makes her a valuable prize for competing forces, known as the Orders. As the truth about her bloodline spreads, she finds herself at the center of a supernatural bounty hunt pursued by both human and creature members of the Orders willing to do anything to claim her as their own. The hunt intensifies when a prophet foresees she will tip the balance of power and upset the peace among the Orders. As she attempts to evade capture and survive, Onyx is forced to choose between her humanistic past and a supernatural destiny in order to take control of her own future.

My Review:
I do not have any tattoos and after reading this book I do not think that I will ever get any. The Sci-fi universe that the author created took me to a new and different place. I enjoyed the plot of controlling the elements. There is a certain harmony and order to the universe and I was happy with how the author balanced it all out. This is the first book in a trilogy and I did feel as though there was a lot more coming that I was unaware of. This is definitely going to a series that I am going to follow. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

DEVOLUTION by Peter Clenott Review

DEVOLUTION by Peter Clenott

What does it truly mean to be ‘Human’?

... Chiku Flynn wasn’t raised to be human. Born in the Congolese rainforest, she spends her first eleven years as part of an experiment. For her, the aboriginal—the primitive—is ‘normal.’ 

Just after her eleventh birthday, Chiku witnesses the horrifying death of her mother, and her father sends her ‘home’ to the United States, to a normal teenager’s life. But she can’t adapt. She is the proverbial wild child—obstinate and defiant. 

When her father disappears, sixteen-year-old Chiku heads back to the primordial jungle, where she uncovers her own dark past and puts to use her greatest skill: she can communicate via sign language with the wild chimpanzees of Chimp Island.

But there is turmoil in the rainforest—civil war, environmental upheaval…and murder. The lives of the chimps and the safety of the people she loves depend upon one teenaged girl who refuses to be messed with—Chiku Flynn.

LEARN MORE AT http://www.imajinbooks.com/devolution (via Goodreads)

My Review:

This was an interesting book for anyone that has thought about about evolution. I found this really interesting because if we come from monkeys/chimps then we could live together. This was different then other books that I have read because the human is raised in the wild, and then brought to live with humans in the states. I  enjoyed reading about the Congo and the Rainforest. Add in a defiant teenager that needs to save everyone, and I  thought this was a really good book. There was also some romance thrown in. I really liked the cover. The ending was good, and I can not wait to see what challenges Chiku has in the future. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

Dance for a Dead Princess by Deborah Hawkins Review

In January 1997, Princess Diana received a phone call telling her she would be assassinated. She recorded the information on a secret video tape, naming her killer and gave it to a trusted friend in America for safekeeping. It has never been found.

Diana’s close friend, Nicholas Carey, the 18th Duke of Burnham and second richest man in England, has vowed to find the tape and expose her killer. After years of searching, he discovers Diana gave the tape to British socialite Mari Cuniff, who died in New York under mysterious circumstances. He believes Wall Street attorney Taylor Collins, the executor of Mari’s estate, has possession of it. He lures Taylor to England by promising to sell his ancestral home in Kent, Burnham Abbey, to one of her clients, a boarding school for American girls. Nicholas has dated actresses and models since the death of his wife, ten years earlier, and has no interest in falling in love again. But he is immediately and unexpectedly overwhelmed with feelings for Taylor at their first meeting.

Taylor, unaware that Diana’s tape is in her long-time friend and client’s estate and nursing her hurt over her broken engagement to a fellow attorney in her firm, brands Nicholas supremely spoiled and selfish. She is in a hurry to finish the sale of the Abbey and return to New York. But while working in the Abbey’s library, Taylor uncovers the diary of Thomas Carey, a knight at the court of Henry VIII and the first Duke of Burnham.

As she reads Thomas’ agonizing struggle to save the love of his life and the mother of his child from being forced to become Henry’s mistress, she begins to see Nicholas in a new light as he battles to save his sixteen-year-old ward Lucy, who is desperately unhappy and addicted to cocaine. But just as Taylor’s feelings for Nicholas become clear and at the moment she realizes she is in possession of Diana’s voice from the grave, she learns that Nicholas may be Lucy’s father and responsible for his wife’s death at the Abbey at the time of Lucy’s birth. When Nicholas is arrested for Lucy’s murder and taken to Wandsworth Prison, Taylor sets out to learn the truth about Nicholas, his late wife, and the death of the Princess of Wales.

Dance for A Dead Princess is a the story of two great loves that created and preserved a family that has lasted for five hundred years.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Contemporary Romance,Mystery

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with Deborah Hawkins on Facebook 

Website http://deborahlhawkins.com/

My Review:

This is a great book. To think that Princess Diana knew that she was going to die has me baffled. What would she have done differently? I loved that this book was rich in history that I am old enough to remember. What if the crash in 1997 was planned? I also really like romances that take place in England. Which this story definitely had. The fact that this was based on something in a different language makes me want to learn that language. As the bodies started to pile up so did the mysteries. This book had a little bit of everything. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

What Lies Inside by J. L. Myers Review

Amelia Lamont never asked to unleash her inner vampire

Amelia’s normal teen world is shattered when a terrifying nightmare awakens the monster inside her. A newfound, insatiable thirst for blood that leads her to drain the school quarterback is only the beginning; she’s horrified to discover that her family and best friend Kendrick have been harboring the secret all along. And is the strangely alluring boy who seems hell-bent on curbing her murderous, blood-filled desires a friend, or foe?

To escape detection Amelia and her twin brother Dorian are forced to move to a new town, and the challenge of a new, exclusive high school where nearly every classmate smells like prey. Including the irresistible Ty, who seems hauntingly familiar, yet darkly menacing …

Amelia’s disturbing dreams and entanglement in a web of forbidden romance render her increasingly powerless against the chilling lies and secrets of vampire power struggles. And, as she soon discovers, vampire politics mixed with outlawed love can be a lethal cocktail.

Falling in love may just cost Amelia everything: her friends, her family…even her life

Move over Twilight, True Blood and Underworld! J.L. Myers’ first book in the Blood Bound series will have you swooning for more!

Warning – This book contains some language and sexual situations.

YA/ Vampire/ Paranormal Fiction

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Genre – YA Paranormal Romance

Rating – PG-13+

More details about the author

Connect with  Jessica Myers on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://bloodboundnovels.com

My Review:

This was Romeo and Juliet meet Twilight. I liked the idea of finding out you are a vampire via a dream. This book also drew me in by making Amelia the only one in her family that did not know their heritage. As a non-popular student I can understand why attacked the most popular boy, the football player. Then when she moved, and met Ty, I was so happy for her. However all is not what it seems. Ty is not human. I did not like the cliffhanger. However the character development in this book was great and Amelia definitely was not the same shy person. I am giving this book a 3/5. I was given a copy to review form OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

The King of Sunday by J. B. McCauley Review

The King of Sunday Morning is a geezer. Not in the traditional sense of the word as in old man. This geezer is a face, a wannabe, a top notch bloke. He is the greatest DJ that never was. He should have been. Could have been. Would have been. Now becoming a has-been.

Tray McCarthy was born into privilege but with the genetic coding of London’s violent East End. Having broken the underworld’s sacred honour code, it is only his family’s gangland connections that save him. But in return for his life, he must deny that which he has ever known or ever will be and runs to Australia where he is forced to live an inconsequential life.

But trouble never strays far from Tray McCarthy and eventually his past and present collide to put everyone he has ever loved in danger. He must now make a stand and fight against those that are set to destroy him and play their game according to his rules.

Set against the subterfuge and violence of the international drugs trade, The King of Sunday Morning is the tale of what can go wrong when you make bad decisions. Tray McCarthy has made some of the worst. He must now save those he holds dear but in the process gets trapped deeper and deeper into a world where he doesn’t belong.

“I want three pump-action shotguns, about twelve sticks of dynamite and a blowtorch”

THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, FREQUENT DRUG USE AND SEX SCENES – NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Thriller, Action, Suspense, Gangster, Crime, Music

Rating – PG-18

More details about the author

Connect with J.B. McCauley on Facebook & Twitter

My Review:

This was a great gangster book. It had everything I thought a book in it's genre should. However the beginning was a little to slow paced for me. The clubs and music made up for that though. I could definitely see this being a movie. My favorite part was when Tray was on the run. It was also interesting to read about Australia from the eyes of someone born rich. I recommend this book for adults and people that like the Godfather movies. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from Orangeberry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

Constantinopolis by James D. Shipman Review

Constantinople is the impregnable jewel of the East. The greatest city of the Christian world, Constantinople has stood for a thousand years against invading hordes.
Mehmet II, the youthful and rash Sultan of the Ottoman Turks is bent on taking the city. He is distrusted by his people and hated by his Grand Vizier. Mehmet risks all to prove he deserves the throne and to accomplish the impossible: the capture of Constantinople.
Opposing him is Constantine XI, the wise and accomplished Emperor of the Greeks. Constantine is emperor in name only, for the Greek empire has dwindled to little more than the city itself. Short of resources, soldiers and hope, Constantine must fight against all odds to protect his people and his city from the most powerful army in the medieval world.

My Review:

For me this was a story about how history could have been rewritten. I loved the historical accuracy      This is a great book to read, because I learned some history. I also really liked this time era of time and it was so interesting to read about the Ottoman Empire. I loved that this took place at a common time in history as well, it was easier for me to understand. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry book Tours, however all opinions are my own. 

The Granite Key by N.S. Wikarski Review

ARKANA SERIES
Forget everything you thought you knew about ancient history. The real facts have been buried… Until now!

Imagine yourself a nineteen year old college student. Your life is normal in every way until a bizarre set of events drags you into a hidden world of danger. You are recruited by an underground society questing for artifacts that reconstruct the lost history of the human race. You are being pursued by a fanatical religious cult intent on acquiring a legendary relic before you do. A relic that, in the wrong hands, has the power to destroy the world.

In a treasure hunt that spans twelve thousand years of human history and covers every continent, the Arkana series digs deep through the layers of fabricated history to reveal a past we never dreamed we had and a future we never dreamed we could have.

THE GRANITE KEY
College student Cassie Forsyth awakens in the middle of the night, shocked by a nightmare in which she sees her sister being murdered. The attacker is a man in a cowboy hat who demands something called "the key." The girl's nightmare becomes real as she is drawn into an underground organization bent on recovering an ancient artifact that has the power to save the world or end it altogether.

A secret society. A fanatical cult. A telepathic girl.

All vie to unlock the mysteries of the granite key. The quest leads halfway around the globe to the ruins of a forgotten civilization and a secret it has guarded for millennia. The fate of the world depends on who gets there first.

My Review:
This was a good first book for a series. However that is exactly what it is. It is only the beginning of a well written story, and I felt like I was missing something. A professional hit man that misses his target, a clueless husband, mythology and a mysterious key. I liked everything else about the book, especially the feminine perspective. I know that the author will write book 2, and it will have a great ending. I would give that book a 5/5. This book is a 3/5 because I don't feel like the book had a definite ending point. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

The House by Sebastiana Randone Review

“Perchance you are a spirit then, what glorious happenstance that you should visit me, how sublimely metaphysical!”

The House is an adult fairy tale, time travel romance mystery.

Clad only in a torn night dress, a woman finds herself, late one afternoon, in an ancient forest. How she arrived there remains a mystery, both to her and the reader. Finally a frightful looking house arrives in view. Night is moving in and faced with the prospect of remaining in a wood, where only wolves and predators revel, she reluctantly seeks refuge in this unwelcoming house.

Once inside, and taken aback by a most unexpected interior, she soon discovers a room where a magic portal laying in wait transports her to a Georgian estate. A baleful altercation with a beastly, drunkard Lord of the estate (archetype to the evil wolf in traditional tales) sets the tone for this narrative. Unable to find an escape route, she remains confined in this somber historical setting for many months, interacting with a curiously dysfunctional household.

Finally she finds her way back to the enigmatic house from which a journey to Regency London follows, where she meets with an interesting cast of individuals. Although it soon emerges that there is a relationship between the characters from both periods, the mystery surrounding her presence continues to confound all.

One foggy eve, a down cast man arrives and is introduced to the time traveller. When their eyes meet, an inexplicable sense of familiarity is felt by both. Returning home after a large stretch in Florence, the poet is instantly taken with this mysterious beauty, a meeting of which promises restoration for the heart broken man. Frustratingly however, there are obstacles hindering this unusuallove match. Soon a past life connection emerges, and by the last pages, many pieces of the puzzle form a startling picture.

Upon the final curtain, the biggest surprise of all is revealed. With a conclusion, that, although bizarre is positive, like all good fairy tales.

My Review:

This was a good time travel and paranormal book. A mysterious house in the woods is nothing new in literature. However added with a human "big bad wolf", a lost girl and time travel this book is definitely something worth reading. I loved the tidbits thrown in that reminded me of fairy tales. The time travel was well done and it was believable. The author's choice of words was what took me so long to read.  Accurate language for the time period was used, ad naseum. For someone that is not familiar with that time, I needed to use clues and look up a lot of words. However if you enjoy a historical time travel with a fairy tail twist, then that is what this book is. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

The Barber's Conundrum and Other Stories: Observations on Life from the Cheap Seats Review

The Barber's Conundrum and Other Stories is more than just a collection of thirty-seven short literary humor pieces that will make you laugh. It provides a treasure trove of tips and invaluable advice to help you navigate safely through marriage and relationships, raising kids and to finally understand the more peculiar aspects of day to day living that up until now, had been tossed into a big heap as just another one of God's mysteries. For example, did you ever wonder why weather reporters continue to stand in the middle of raging hurricanes to tell us what hurricanes are like when everybody else already knows what hurricanes are like? Did you ever wonder why people stop their cars in the middle of the street to let geese walk past even though geese have been flying long before Cro- Magnon Man was in knee pants? Did you ever think that if aliens do exist on our planet, most of them work in customer service? They do! All of that, and more is in the book, so what do you say? At $8.99, you're guaranteed to receive at least $10.50 worth of terrific advice and life extending laughter, which as we know is the best medicine, and there's never a co-pay with laughter so you're up well over $20 already and this is only the back cover. Think of the possibilities to save when you read the whole thing.

My Review:
This was a funny book. It is the perfect book to read after a long day. My mom used to have a hairdresser and she knew a lot about us. She was a nice lady and became almost like family. I guess this is why Barbers and hairdressers are confided in. I have heard about gossiping while at the hairdresser so many times before. That is what this book is about. You just never know what some people will say or do. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review by Orangeberry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

I, Walter by Mike Hartner Review

This is the life story of Walter Crofter, an English commoner who ran from home at the age of 11.  After two years living on the street, he ended up on a Merchant Mariners boat in the service of the Crown.

On his first voyage, he rescued a girl from pirates.  A very important girl, who stole his heart before she was returned to her home.

This is the story of his life.  What adventures he had at sea; what took him off the waters, and what happened to him as he lived his life and stayed true to his character.

My Review
I loved how his book followed a man's journey. It was interesting to compare the past surroundings to the present. Walter was a very complicated person and his explanation of his life proved that. The people he was in contact with were an interesting read. I liked the part where he stopped writing his story to talk about his wife, and for her to talk about Walter's life. I did not like that this is the first book in a series, and I wish that it did not jump forward in time the way it did, but rather stopped at a specific time in his life. I think that it will be hard now for readers to pick up the story in the second book. However I want to know more about Walter and can not wait to red the next book. I would like to see more people brought in to talk about Walter as well. The way the author wrote about the different places where Walter had been was interesting to me, because I have only ever visited one continent. I am giving this book a 3/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

Duty by Rachel Rossano Review

Duty

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king and the recent civil war. When his benefactor demands Tomas marry the cousin of a noble, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation under the new Lord Wisten, her cousin. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a dire winter if they do not find a solution soon. When she learns her cousin sold her into marriage to save his life, she isn’t surprised. However, she is taken aback by Lord Irvaine’s unpolished ways. Was this man a noble or a foot soldier?

Bound by the words of their vows, they face a rough future. They must forge a marriage while battling betrayal, accusations of treason, and villains from the past. Survival depends on their precarious trust in each other. Failure could mean death.

My Review:
This was a really interesting novel. It had a little bit of everything. It had romance, an arranged marriage, the middle ages and of course usurpers. I liked this story because even though it had some truth to it it also took place in a land created by the author. I liked that the "God" had a special name and was not of a certain religion. The author did a great job of creating a world that kept me interested until the end. The arranged marriage was not really a new take, however the characters were written with a lot of human qualities that made them more believable for me. I liked the ending as well. I am giving this book a 3/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

Blood, Smoke and Ashes by Bradley Convissar Review

In the Fall of 1955, the state of Nevada used the electric chair to execute a prisoner for the first time.

It was also the last time.

Molly Blackburn, nicknamed Jane the Ripper by the Las Vegas press after killing eleven men while posing as a prostitute, was strapped to the chair without incident. The switch was flipped.

Everything after that went horribly wrong.

Since that day, a copycat Jane the Ripper has appeared almost every decade in a different city, mimicking Molly's choice in victims as well as her methods of murder. She kills eleven men then disappears, never to be found. The similarities between the bodies left behind each decade is uncanny. As if they are all the victims of the same murderer, not a copycat.

But that's impossible, of course, because Molly Blackburn is dead, her execution witnessed by a dozen people.

FBI Agent Jack Shaw, the lead investigator in the Jane the Ripper cases since the seventies, finally catches a break in 2009 when the intended fifth victim manages to turn the tables on the newest copycat . Everyone believes that the horror has finally ended with her capture. Shaw is not so sure, though, wondering if someone else will take up the mantle and kill seven more men to complete the cycle. But when no more bodies with her distinctive markings show up over the next two years, Shaw allows himself to believe that maybe he has seen the end of the Jane the Ripper murders.

As it turns out, what he thought was the end was only the beginning.

His hunt will take him across the country, and even when he thinks he's finally discovered the truth, he quickly learns that not everything is as it seems.

That not every monster is created equal.

That the nature of good and evil is not as black and white as he has always believed.

That not everything that is broken can be put back together.

That not every fractured soul can be saved.

When blood, smoke and ashes rise, no one comes out the same on the other side.

Blood, Smoke and Ashes is a 115,00 word supernatural thriller/horror

My Review:

I have been reading Stephen King since I was 8 years old. I love a good scare you to death, never turn the lights off again, go to the store and buy an extra deadbolt kind of horror book. That is exactly what this book is. Jane the Ripper was a great idea for a book. This book was also paranormal. I loved it. I had no idea who the real killer(s) was (were). I am glad that I read this during the day, and not at night in the car, as I usually do on my Kindle. The ending was good, and the detective was not my favorite character, but he did bring a level of tension to the story. I am giving this a 5/5. I was given a copy to review from OrangeBerry Book Tours, however all opinions are my own.

How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward by Caroline Kennedy Review

A number-one *bestseller when it came out in 1987 under its original title this updated book, "How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward" inspired Andrew Lloyd-Weber to write a musical about Stephen Ward. It puts a whole new interpretation on the Profumo Scandal and offers a wider perspective into its complex central figure, Stephen Ward, as well as a broader insight into one of the greatest scandals of the past 100 years. "How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward" is a major expose of a government cover-up that has lasted half a century. It is a powerful story of sexual compulsion, political scandal, police corruption, judicial abuse and ultimate betrayal. The book reveals never-before-heard testimony that has been uncovered by the authors in the years since the sex scandal broke. Using startling new evidence, including Stephen Ward’s own unpublished memoirs and hundreds of interviews with many who, conscience-stricken, have now spoken out for the first time, this important account rips through a half-century cover-up in order to show exactly why the government of the day, the police force, the Judiciary and the security forces decided to frame Stephen Ward. At the height of the Cold War, when the world held its breath for 13 days during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the authors show how Stephen Ward acted as an intermediary between the British and Soviet governments. As the authors’ research reveals, Stephen Ward’s “trial of the century” was caused by an unprecedented corruption of justice and political malice that resulted in an innocent man becoming a scapegoat for those who could not bear to lose power. This is an epic tale of sex, lies, and governmental abuse whose aftermath almost brought down the government and shook the American, British, and Soviet espionage worlds to their core. With its surprising revelations and meticulous research, Stephen Ward’s complete story can finally be told. Currently the authors are supporting the efforts to have Stephen Ward's case referred to the Court of Criminal Appeal and his conviction overturned.

My Review:
I love to watch shows where there was a conspiracy. I also think that area 51 was and is one big conspiracy. With that being said, this book was scary to read. The authors did so much research. They read memoirs, fought courts and uncovered the truth. I can not believe how many people stood by and knew what was happening, however they did nothing to stop it. What scared me about this book was that it could be happening every day. It can also happen too anyone. Our government is strong, I would not be strong enough to fight for the answers. However somebody has too. This was a great book that talked a lot about the past and about relations between countries. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review from Orange Berry Book Tours. However all opinions are my own.

Fool for Love by Merry Farmer Review

Eric Quinlan was born a cowboy and a rancher and intends to die a cowboy and a rancher. But when his ranch is in danger of failing, he travels to the wilds of London looking for a business deal to save it. What he finds there are stuffed shirts, odd manners, and a damsel in distress.

Amelia Elphick’s life is over. She may have been born a lady, but when she finds herself jilted by a lover who leaves her pregnant and refuses to marry her, she seems destined for a life on the streets. When her employer’s rough but handsome houseguest, Eric, offers to rescue her from ruin, she has no choice but to say yes, even if it means moving halfway around the world.

But Amelia finds herself saying yes to more than a ticket west. What starts with a harmless lie tangles Amelia and Eric in a web of desire and deceit that exposes passions and turns their worlds upside-down. Eric believes Amelia holds the key to saving his beloved ranch and giving him the family he always wanted, but can he save her from the demons of her past without losing himself in the process?

People do foolish things when they’re in love….

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CFO4G5O

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CFO4G5O

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/307979

My Review:

I need to start by telling you that this is the second book in a series. I did not read the first book so I am missing some background. It did not take away from the plot or characters. I did not like Amelia's mother. Besides the fact that she was a well known harlot. She was mean to her daughters. She made two of them follow her foot steps and have the same profession as her. She was ready to make Amelia a harlot as well. Amelia was not perfect either. She got pregnant, and was not married. She knew that this would make her destitute, and that her life would be over. She did the only thing she could. The father of her unborn baby is finally somewhere that she can confront him. That only makes it more difficult when he dumps her in front of a bunch of people at a party. I would have been extremely embarrassed. In a time when women had very little rights, and really no way to live on their own, Amelia is still strong. She was ready to get a job and do what she had to do. However at her lowest moment she was sent a gift. Her gift was Eric. Eric is not perfect either. He is kind and willing to take Amelia away from her shame to America. I liked that Amelia was running to America to start a family like so many people in the past. What she did not expect was the want to be Eric's wife, and not just for the other shipmates. She is not ready to risk her heart again though and it will cost her. Eric does not get her at all and he is so confused. He finally figures out who is responsible for the downfall of his farm. However will these two hearts make room for each other? I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review from Orange Berry Book Tours. However all opinions are my own.

ALONG THE WATCHTOWER by David Litwack review

ABOUT ALONG THE WATCHTOWER

A Tragic Warrior Lost in Two Worlds… The war in Iraq ended for Lieutenant Freddie Williams when an IED explosion left his mind and body shattered. Once he was a skilled gamer and expert in virtual warfare. Now he’s a broken warrior, emerging from a medically induced coma to discover he’s inhabiting two separate realities. The first is his waking world of pain, family trials, and remorse—and slow rehabilitation through the tender care of Becky, his physical therapist. The second is a dark fantasy realm of quests, demons, and magic that Freddie enters when he sleeps. In his dreams he is Frederick, Prince of Stormwind, who must make sense of his horrific visions in order to save his embattled kingdom from the monstrous Horde. His only solace awaits him in the royal gardens, where the gentle words of the beautiful gardener, Rebecca, calm the storms in his soul. While in the conscious world, the severely wounded vet faces a strangely similar and equally perilous mission—a journey along a dark road haunted by demons of guilt and memory—and letting patient, loving Becky into his damaged and shuttered heart may be his only way back from Hell.   

My Review
 This was a look at war, that made me cry. Our soldiers go through so much, and freedom is not free. The author really made me think about this. Then there was the alternate plot of the fantasy world. It evened out the book for me, and made the book enjoyable for me. It made the book more of a story, rather than a sad tale of war.  Freddie was a Lieutenant and he was definitely in a bad way after the war. Not only do soldiers go through war, and risk their lives, but they also come home with knowledge of all that happened. A lot of Soldiers are never the same when they come home. This book gave a look of both. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy for review from OrangeBerry BookTours, however all opinions are my own!