Tag Archive | book-reviews

So This Happened…

Jun21

Book Link

I found a new review! I’ve been sitting at 92 for over a year. 93 my new number.

From Amazon:

After surviving the cruel rage of tyranny from her mother and ex-husband, Sarah Jackson traveled a new path; a journey of loss, heartbreak, and ultimately strength. How do we survive the unthinkable, our child suffering from a terminal illness? They say there is no greater loss than that of a child; I say losing a child is the king of loss. Sometimes the thing that helps us survive it, is knowing we are not alone. Bestselling author, Sarah Jackson, will take you on her journey of hope and strength as she provides an intimate raw look at her life.

New Review Number 93!

Top reviews from the United States

Lizzy

5.0 out of 5 stars A heartwrenching and important book

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024

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This book is a beautiful testament to a mother’s enduring love for her son, through the most unimaginable and heartbreaking circumstances.

I read this book over many days. There is a lot to digest on many levels.

Cancer is a brutal beast. It is gut-wrenching when an adult is diagnosed, but to be diagnosed at four, before his life had barely begun, is something impossible to understand.

The author, a registered nurse, was by her son’s side every step of the way. This book is a combination of many things: it is a woman’s journal (with many medical specifics), the story of a little boy (who loved water guns) and tried so very hard to carry on, the story of a woman fighting the imminent death of her son only to have an abusive husband (and mother) complicating and twisting her pain. It is also the author’s story of a blossoming love with a good man, who was steadfastly by her side, counteracting the sorrows, grief, and abuse as well as any mortal can.

In this book, the author mentions that after her son’s death, she was told by many that she should be “over it by now.” That hit me hard, as this is something I have not only personally dealt with, but seen many grieving human beings slimed with the same inappropriate and horrific commentary. We all have a right to feel what we feel and to grieve as we do. In reading this book, I hope that having journaled this sad transition from life to Heaven, that some comfort is given.

This was not an easy book to read, but an important one. I believe each reader will take from it what they most need to know. A brave and important book.


Long Lost Lies

Jun18

Book Link

From Amazon:

Alexa’s younger sister, Natalyn, is accused of murdering her boss, and why not? Jacob Burnley is found stabbed to death in Natalyn’s bed the morning after an office party. Because of this current chaos in Alexa’s life, Winnie is forced to take her place and travel to 1958 with Detective Slater for his next rookie Guardian Angel case. Before too long, Alexa finds herself entangled in a tricky situation: what could happen if her fiancé, Cliff Slater, a detective from the current century, would investigate the same murder as his grandfather, Clifton Slater, a detective from the previous century? Moreover, what would happen if said investigations were happening simultaneously? What kind of cross-interference could erupt on either side of time? What would that look like? Worlds collide, justice for a murdered girl hangs in the balance, and only time will tell.

My Review:

This book did not disappoint! I’ve read the other four books, and this was the best one yet. What happens when you toss together two detectives, a few women, several lawyers, more than one murder, and time traveling with guardian ghosts who take you back in time, never mind you can’t do anything to change history so you must tread carefully as you investigate a cold case with a woman from the current day? A lot can happen! This book Has all of that and more. Five shiny gold stars.

Mollie McQueen is NOT Ruining Christmas

May30

Book Link

From Amazon:

Mollie is back for Christmas!
“Be naughty and save Santa a trip. It’s better for the planet…”

There was little over a week to go until Christmas Day, but Mollie McQueen hadn’t sent a single card. She hadn’t purchased one gift, and she hadn’t decked the halls with anything other than mountains of wet laundry.

Usually, come the first of December, the McQueen house resembled Santa’s grotto. Stockings would hang from the fireplace, his and hers advent calendars would be propped up on the mantlepiece, and the two sparkly polar bears bought by Mollie’s mother would stand proudly on the windowsill.

This year, all was quiet on the Christmas front. The door was missing its usual wreath, the sprig of mistletoe was absent from the hallway, and the alcove in the living room was minus the retro tree that Mollie normally insisted on rolling out on the first day of December.

When Mollie first announced her plans to strip Christmas back to basics, she received nothing but negative feedback. Max accused her of trying to ruin Christmas, Margot advised her to chuck back a daily vitamin D pill in a bid to rediscover her Christmas spirit, and Mrs Heckles had taken to singing Christmas carols through Mollie’s letterbox.

Despite their grumbling, Mollie was determined to prove to everyone that you could enjoy Christmas without falling victim to the endless marketing campaigns that emotionally blackmailed you into purchasing unnecessary gifts for people who would rather have a pack of socks and a slice of Yule log.

With her no-Christmas Christmas amassing quite the guestlist, Mollie had an almighty task on her hands.

Can she convince her nearest and dearest that the true meaning of Christmas had nothing to do with expensive gifts and garish decorations?

One thing’s for sure, Mollie McQueen is NOT Ruining Christmas.

My Review:

This book is funny. Hilarious, actually. Mollie decides to make Christmas all about the reason for the season and helping less fortunate people through actual working for free, while all the while bringing the true and best of any Christmas come to be. Never mind the kooky homemade gifts Mollie made, or tossing beans into mashed potatoes, but Mollie has everyone worried about what they will eat and the gift giving doesn’t line up with past years. Decorations are off the table and slowly but surely, time happens, and the true sense of the best Christmas ever happens.

West of Santillane

May8

Please welcome Brook Allen to my blog. Hello Brook. Please come and sit down for a chat this morning.

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post. It’s such a pleasure to be here, Mary! I write historical fiction and my goal with a novel is to immerse the reader within the period and create believable characters. I still have a day-job (sigh), but I hope to retire soon and devote myself to full-time WRITING! I love traveling, reading, and researching my next project, and snuggling with my black Labrador, Jak.

How difficult was it writing your first book? It took fifteen years to write the Antonius Trilogy. First off, I didn’t know what I was doing. Second, during that time, my aging parents needed caregiving, so Antonius took a backburner to everything. They were so supportive, and my dad read many of my drafts for Son of Rome. However, they passed on before I was ever able to publish the complete Trilogy.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you? Not getting traditionally pubbed has certainly given me pause, and lately, it seems that marketing a new book has become so much more difficult and frustrating. However, I believe in my work and I’m a stubborn old woman who refuses to give in.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer? Naturally, my husband has been SO supportive and even helps me problem-solve when I have plot-holes. However, NYT bestselling novelist Margaret George has become a very dear friend and has cheered me on every step of the way. She sees the positives in self-publishing when so many traditionally published authors do not. And more importantly, she doesn’t consider my work “less” than her own just because I am self-published. We have such a great relationship. I treasure her.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom? A scholarly man once told me, “Knowledge is never wasted.”. I’ve really taken that to heart with my researching process. I start researching six months ahead of starting to write, letting ideas and possibilities tumble through my mind. Then, once I begin writing, I’m STILL researching as I go. I find myself able to include jewels of information that pops up in certain scenes that I’d never considered adding. Knowing your stuff about the subject-matter associated with a project is integral to its success.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience? I write for adult audiences who want to know something more about a historical character, or who might be fascinated by my book’s cover or back-cover blurb.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt? I’ve just completed a new work: WEST OF SANTILLANE, the untold story of Julia Hancock. Julia married William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Most of the story takes place after the men return from the Pacific, and most people aren’t aware of what took place once they came home. Honestly, there was just as much drama going on as when they were traveling west. What’s more—Julia was in the middle of much of that drama. It was fascinating, getting to sort through letters and documents of Lewis & Clark—getting to handle them. There was a glut of fine information, and my heartfelt prayer is that I did the project justice. So far, it’s gotten rave reviews.

Any last words before we wrap things up? Go pick up WEST OF SANTILLANE! It will have its first promo during the week of May 13th, and the Kindle version will only be .99. It’s Julia’s story of adventure, forgiveness, and self-discovery.

       WEST OF SANTILLANE PRESS KIT

ISBN: 9781732958579

***For bulk retail shipments of books/print on demand: Ingram-Spark:

https://www.ingramspark.com/

CONTACT INFO:

            Brook Allen, Historical Fiction Author

            133 Piper Glen

            Blue Ridge, Virginia 24064

            (540)520-3479

            1brook.allen@gmail.com

                                                   CONNECT WITH BROOK

EMAIL: 1brook.allen@gmail.com

WEBSITE: https://www.brookallenauthor.com/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/1BrookAllen

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Historical.FictionWriter/photos/a.1921073788134240/274856848538 4762/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brookallen54/

                                                            Brook Allen Bio

Author Brook Allen has a passion for history. Her newest project, West of Santillane spotlights history from a little closer to home. It’s the story of Julia Hancock, who married famed explorer, William Clark. Each character of this thrilling, adventurous period was researched throughout southwest Virginia and into Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota. It launches in March of 2024.

Brook belongs to the Historical Novel Society and attends conferences as often as possible to study craft and meet fellow authors. In 2019, her novel Antonius: Son of Rome won the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Award. In 2020, it was honored with a silver medal in the international Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewers Book Awards and then won First Place in the prestigious Chaucer Division in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2020.

Though she graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Music Education, Brook has always loved writing. She completed a Masters program at Hollins University with an emphasis in Ancient Roman studies, which helped prepare her for authoring her Antonius Trilogy. Brook teaches full-time as a Music Educator and works in a rural public-school district near Roanoke, Virginia. Her personal interests include travel, cycling, hiking in the woods, reading, and spending downtime with her husband and big, black dog, Jak. She lives in the heart of southwest Virginia in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

                                    West of Santillane Back Cover Blurb

Desperate to escape a mundane future as a Virginia planter’s wife, Julia Hancock seizes her chance for adventure when she wins the heart of American hero William Clark. Though her husband is the famed explorer, Julia embarks on her own thrilling and perilous journey of self-discovery.

With her gaze ever westward, Julia possesses a hunger for knowledge and a passion for helping others. She falls in love with Will’s strength and generous manner, but, like her parents, he is a slave owner, and Julia harbors strong opinions against slavery. Still, her love for Will wins out, though he remains unaware of her beliefs.

Julia finds St. Louis to be a rough town with few of the luxuries to which she is accustomed, harboring scandalous politicians and miscreants of all types. As her husband and his best friend, Meriwether Lewis, work to establish an American government and plan to publish their highly anticipated memoirs, Julia struggles to assume the roles of both wife and mother. She is also drawn into the plight of an Indian family desperate to return to their own lands and becomes an advocate for Will’s enslaved.

When political rivals cause trouble, Julia’s clandestine aid to the Indians and enslaved of St. Louis draws unwanted attention, placing her at odds with her husband. Danger cloaks itself in far too many ways, leading her to embrace the courage to save herself and others through a challenge of forgiveness that will either restore the love she shares with Will or end it forever.

                                                Where to buy the book

                          *Print copies are now on sale for $19.99.

Amazon.com

amzn.to/48KZn3N

Book No Further (Roanoke Market)

Botetourt County Historical Society & Museum

***For bulk shipments of books/print on demand: Ingram-Spark:

https://www.ingramspark.com/

Fourth Gold Medal!!

May7

Congratulations!

Your book, Christmas in Evergreen, has been chosen as Best Book in the Category of Suspense, in the NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winners for Winter 2024.

Al Galasso

Winter 2024 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards

Book Link

Synopsis:

“My husband, Steve, and I have always had a great relationship, married, for the last five years. He’s a private investigator, and I have my artwork. Much of his work involved using a special laptop, one that was rugged and lockable, in his home office and I had my art studio where I could lose myself in painting and creativity. Life was wonderful, until the day I read a completely chilling and startling “Hit List” on his computer screen. Confusion ran supreme in my brain and then it hit me. My name was at the top of that list! Wait! What? No! Never! Yet I read “Kim Daily” plain as day. What would you do if you found out you were the next target on your husband’s hit list? Steve intentionally left his laptop open for me to read. He simply can’t be an assassin! I would know. Or would I? No! That’s impossible! Steve has been the kindest husband for five years and he was a crack ass private investigator; not an assassin. Yet why was my name at the top of his hit list? Why did he even have a hit list? My mind reeling in shock, I had to do something to stay alive! Think, Kim, think! Get your best game on right now as time is running out!” 

Daisy

5.0 out of 5 stars The Heart of Evergreen Book 1

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2024

Christmas in Evergreen is a story that grabs a reader from page one with a hook that never let’s go. Kim discovers the unthinkable. Staring back on her husband’s laptop is a hit list. Shock wraps around Kim as she sees her name sits at the top. Accepting the truth of this discovery, Kim flees for her life. The reader goes along worrying and fearing each step of the way. Expect to gulp extra breaths of air as you turn the pages.

With the help of others, Kim escapes to the town of Evergreen. She grabs the opportunity to begin anew…if that’s even possible.

The author has set the wheels in motion for Evergreen to become an enthralling and exciting series. The best is yet to come!


Adele Royce

5.0 out of 5 stars Plot-twisting Action Plus Heartwarming Romance

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024

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In Mary L. Schmidt’s latest novel, she pulls the reader into a sinister assassination plot that threatens her main character, the courageous and beautiful, Kim. When Kim’s perfect life is disrupted by the discovery her husband might just be trying to off her, she takes matters into her own hands. What results is a deep dive into a new life Kim never expected but might just be the light at the end of the tunnel. There is something for everyone in this heart-stopping thriller-turned romance. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Reader Editor

5.0 out of 5 stars The Suspense Builds and Then…. Wow!

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024

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Christmas in Evergreen: Heart of Evergreen Book 1, by Mary L. Schmidt, an author who has a flair for detail and slowly building up to a stunning, unexpected, and life-changing occurrence. A story of how two women become friends through adversity, and how they progress in their lives. I cannot say more of what brought these two women together and how they fared after a tragedy without creating a spoiler. What I can say is that the character, Kim, flees for her life after inadvertently seeing something devastating on her husband’s laptop. I had high hopes this story would go another way, but it did not and Kim and her friend become bonded forever as they bring together the shattered pieces of the puzzle of their new lives. These women are strong and determined to make the most of what they are left with.

Again, Schmidt’s flair for detail brings us into a scene as if we are present with the characters. Her writing also shows evidence that she researches her topics, or perhaps builds many of her scenes from knowledge she already possesses. Since this seems to be the start of a series, I believe it will be an exciting one. This certainly cannot be the only life changing occurrence in these characters lives, so I am looking forward to the next book to see what life throws at these to women.

Full Circle

May5

Book Link

SECOND EDITION OUT NOW!!

The year is 1786 and in the quiet countryside of Mere in Wiltshire sits ‘The Willows’, a small estate whose sole produce has being the growing of flax. It has been the current family’s home now for three generations since inherited by George MacMartin in 1716. Elizabeth Hamilton – the present owner – and her son Stewart had lived alone there until a cousin; Alexander was taken into the family when Stewart was 12.

Life there has not always been peaceful, and for the last 21 years the house has held a secret from the past which has been kept safely hidden even from Stewart. His Father Andrew Duncan, who left when Stewart was just 3 years old, has been privy to this, and has used this secret many times to extort money from his wife Elizabeth to feed his gambling addiction.

Stewart Hamilton the son is impetuous by nature, but he is also a man of honour and justice who fights for those less able to defend themselves. As he says of himself ‘I have a hasty tongue,’ and this has been his downfall many times.

It is after Stewart marries that his life is turned into chaos, as by rescuing a young aristocratic girl Catherine Portman whilst on a journey to Exeter, it initiates a succession of vengeance and hatred against him and his family that lasts for a little over three years.

During the course of that time there are still many secrets to be to be unveiled, some good, some life threatening, some life changing, but it is how they reveal themselves that transforms the lives of many people irrevocably….

Murder on Pointe

Mar15

Book Link

From Amazon:

Fiona can’t wait to attend the performance of Coppelia at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh. Her old friend, Silja Ramsay, is dancing the principal role. They have dinner after the show, but when they return Pittsburgh Ballet Theater is down one dancer! Ballerina, Alexis Cartwright, has been found dead in the dressing room. Is this murder a result of hot tempers among the cast members? Or is it a random act of violence? Will there be more murders? Homicide Detective, Nathan Landry, isn’t taking any chances. After finding out Fiona has a strong background in ballet he recruits her to go undercover among the cast of Coppelia. Can Fiona help catch a killer, or will she be the next victim?

My Review:

First off, I’ve not read any of the books in this series in order. I’m okay with that. Reading book one was perfect since the last in this series was book twelve. Anyway, Fiona has a grandmother, now deceased, who starts fresh coffee for Fiona. That’s sweet. As in the other books I’ve read, this one involves murder and laughter both. Not that murder is funny since it isn’t, but being this is fiction, the humor is nice to have. Fiona goes undercover as a ballerina to help catch the one responsible for another ballerina’s death. The shenanigans go from there. Fiona lives to tell this story, and she’s in book 12 as well, so never fear, she lives.

Murder by Numbers

Feb21

Book Link

From Amazon:

Our two zany sleuths, Page and Betsy, return in Book 3, landing another twisty murder case. The two cousins stop by The Perk Coffee Shop for pumpkin lattes to celebrate the first day of fall. An ever-observant Page notices Shell Isle’s High School math teacher sitting nearby. His odd actions awaken her curiosity. Hunched over the newspaper’s classified section, the teacher is frantically circling numbers and mumbling to himself. More troubling, the sleuth witnesses a bruiser of a guy joining him. With a quick exchange of laptops and heated words, the thug disappears out the door, leaving the teacher rattled. Immediately, Page gets one of her inklings, signaling there’s more than coffee brewing at The Perk.

The story’s twisty plot will keep readers guessing until the last chapter. Splashes of light romance, plenty of shenanigans, and a few unexpected surprises await.

BONUS: Betsy’s recipes are included. Calling them a ‘bonus’ may be a stretch. She’s a lousy cook.

My Review:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Shell Isle HitReviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024

Verified Purchase

This is another Shell Isle Hit for sleuths Page and Betsy. I tried to figure out the suspect that killed Dean and I failed. Page and Betdy are on it thanks in part to Page and her inklings and nudges. Romance is alive on Shell Isle, and I think it’s way past time for Page and Steve to at least become engaged. The use of ciphers gives a slighte sliver of a spy noir feeling.

Taking Notes on Murder

Feb12

Book Link

From Amazon:

Mysterious notes are showing up in Fiona’s kindergarten classroom claiming a suicide from 2005 was actually a homicide. Detective Landry maintains the messages are too vague, possess no integrity, and do not warrant a review of the old case. Fiona’s not convinced. She’s determined to find the author of the enigmatic notes and uncover the truth about a man who had many secrets and countless enemies, including Fiona’s mother and former suspect—Nancy Quinn! Can Fiona crack this cold case and what will it take to get Detective Landry involved? Don’t miss taking notes on this murder!

My Review:

Murder plus one. Whoever heard of an old murder and a plus one? Well, me for one. There can be actually plus two or three. Who knows? That’s the key. One never knows what’s around the corner when your main couple are peeking into an old cold case and it stirs up problems for quite a few others in town. Never mind a precocious little sassy kindergarten pupil, garulous other, and plenty of kind folks as well. The icing? How about long dead Grandma Ev showing herself? That would be a kicker if it even happens. Grandma Ev’s spirit does let everyone know her thoughts as coffee cups and more float along in mid-air.

Princess Smile

Jan26

Book Link

From Amazon:

Lovable but flawed Jane Mercer struggles with her self-image while reaching for the stars in the cutthroat world of Los Angeles marketing. As she claws her way up the ladder at the agency, Warren Mitchell & Associates, she is driven into fierce competition with her colleagues. When Jane is coerced to comply with a client’s unreasonable requests, she frantically seeks an escape.


Enter the handsome and wealthy Craig Keller, managing partner of rival agency Keller Whitman Group. Jane has admired him from afar, and he’s taken a sudden interest in her. Craig lures Jane into his corporate web, showing her a high-powered world beyond her wildest dreams. But what he has to offer comes with a high price—one Jane is not sure she can pay. A high stakes tale of ambition, friendship, secrets, brutality and desire, Princess Smile is a must-read for the contemporary woman.

My Review:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a ride up and down in this bookReviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024

Verified Purchase

Royce nailed this novel completely. First of all, I’ve read the other two novels prior, so I knew characters. However, this is the first book in the trilogy. LA is a place of its own. I love fashion and this book is filled with fashion galore. The advertising world is extremely competitive and can be a bit seedy if you don’t check out your clients more thoroughly. The venues were richly described, and it’s a world I won’t ever be in, but it was great to read about it. Jane thought she was a plain Jane when, in fact, the opposite was true. The emotions Jane went through never let up. That’s the up and down ride in this novel.