Guilty as Charged by Anna James

My Rating: 4 Stars

Title: Guilty as Charged (Book 1 of the Bradford Sisters Trilogy)

Author: Anna James

Publisher: Sugar and Spice Press

      Cover Art: Cover art designed by the publisher

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 81 Pages

Summary: 

Passion ignites between Nicole Bradford and Max Paradis the second they lay eyes on each another. Nicole seems to be everything that Max is looking for in a woman. She’s sweet and loving and incredibly sexy. But looks can be deceiving. Hadn’t he learned that the hard way?

Nicole is crazy for Max. He is sensitive, caring and his kisses are to die for. But when secrets from her past are revealed will she be found innocent or is she guilty as charged?

Review: 

Another entertaining, quick read from Ms. James. This author definitely likes her white collar men and has a nice knack for making them sexy as well. As I mentioned in a review of another book by this author, white collar men usually aren't my thing, but these guys are very deserving of the "sexy" title. Of course, they also seem to be deserving of the "hot headed" and "stubborn" titles as well, but hey, I like a few flaws with my guys. After all, perfect would be boring, right?

After leaving his brother in charge of the very successful company that he built from the ground up, Max Paradis left the country to escape an ex. Now he's returned, angry, jaded and determined not to let another woman close to him. Until he sees Nicole.

Nicole Bradford has been working for Max's brother, Reed, for over a year and is Reed's "right hand man". Talented, charming and loyal, she has the smarts to help build the company up even more. She raised her sisters after the death of her parents and, even though she is attracted to Max, she doesn't have much free time to date.

Meeting under an amusing, yet somewhat appalling (on Max's part), misunderstanding the trouble just snowballs from there. This story is like a comedy of errors from start to finish, with two adults that are used to being independent and who have been burnt by past relationships. The question becomes whether they can set all their preconceived notions aside and give the relationship a real chance. When the past comes back to haunt Nicole, it could be the beginning of the end of everything she has worked for.

Max is a sexy, take charge kind of guy that is capable of helping her if Nicole would only trust him. In Nicole's defense - Max is also the kind of guy that you want just to slap some sense into once in a while but if you can get past his shell, he is also a softhearted, sweet man that will win you over.

The secondary characters are all also very engaging and it will be fun to see more of the other sisters, and the development of the relationship between Nicole's sister, Natalie, and Max's brother, Reed. As I mentioned in a different review, to not only engage you in the story being told, but to also make several other characters intriguing enough to make you want to learn more about them as well, is a very difficult task to accomplish in a novella. This author did an excellent job and I very much look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance

Rating: 5 Stars

Title: Hawthorne

Author: Sarah Ballance

Publisher: Astraea Press

      Cover Art: Elaina Lee

Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Romance

Length: 40 Pages

Summary: 

After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it took ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home.   She sought peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she found was an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she could right.


Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett never forgot about Emma Grace.  In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents revealed a truth that could cost him everything.  What he found gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?

Review: 

Considering this is a charity title, I should have gotten to this one so much sooner and for that I apologize both to the author and to those that the charity benefits. Charity information will be at the end of the review. 

All that said, I'm kind of glad that this one ended up getting left until now because with Halloween right around the corner this is the perfect time of year to read this one. Hawthorne is full of ghosts, a haunted manor, long buried family secrets and, of course, romance. 

Emma Grace is haunted by her past at Hawthorne Manor and the last thing she wants to do is return but when news reaches her of her grandmother's death she is drawn back. Emma needs closure but returning also means seeing her childhood love, Noah, again. 

Noah stayed at Hawthorne Manor as an employee, helping Emma Grace's grandmother. He hopes to one day see Emma Grace again, but he's not really very optimistic about that really happening. When she finally returns, all the old feelings come to life between the two of them again. 

The beginning is sufficiently creepy and suspenseful enough to immediately grab your attention. The descriptions of the old manor and the landscaping surrounding it are vivid. You can see yourself in the deep south, with the moss hanging from the trees and the air humid enough to almost see. The emotions of the characters are so real that it makes you remember your first love and your first heartbreak. The author does such a good job with the atmosphere that you almost feel like you are in another time, or in a bubble hidden from the rest of the world.  

Short length stories like this sometimes leave me feeling like they are incomplete. It's hard to write something that can paint a complete picture, develop characters that people fall in love with and have a satisfying conclusion within such a short amount of pages. I've read many novellas that I really liked but was left feeling like it would have been better as a full length novel with more time to really develop the story/characters. That was so not the case with this one. While I would have loved this one to be longer, just simply to spend more time immersed in this world with these people, I didn't feel cheated at all by the end. 

I read this book within an hour or so. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I loved these characters and by the end I wasn't sure how to feel. I wanted to cry and smile at the same time. When I finished it, honestly, all I could do was sit there - a little awestruck. These characters and this story will stay with you long after you have turned the last page. Ms. Ballance has earned a new fan. I can't wait to check out more of her work. 

Charity information: 

HAWTHORNE is available exclusively from Astraea Press for only $3, with all proceeds sent directly from the publisher to charity in support of Japan disaster relief.  Your contribution through the purchase of this and other AP charity titles is greatly appreciated!

The link to the book at the Astraea Press website is here. 

You can read the first chapter at the author's website here.

Elusive Echoes by Kay Springsteen

My Rating: 5 Stars

Title: Elusive Echoes ( Book 2 of the Orson's Folly Series)

Author: Kay Springsteen

Publisher: Astraea Press

      Cover Art: Elaina Lee

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 238 Pages with a sneak peak at the end of the first in the 'Echoes' series Lifeline Echoes.

Summary:

They’re two people caught between friendship and something more; they can’t move forward, and they can’t let go.

Drawn together from early childhood, Sean McGee and Melanie Mitchell seemed destined for each other. But at age thirteen, Melanie was wrenched from the people she loved and forced onto a path she loathed. Sean was no stranger to people leaving, but losing Melanie devastated him. When she suddenly reappeared in Orson’s Folly, Sean was overjoyed. The Melanie who came home, though, wasn’t the same girl. She’s got a harder edge and she’s obviously hiding something, but Sean no longer knows how to reach her.

Returning to Orson's Folly as an adult, all Melanie wanted to do was forget the years she spent away. But she soon learned that going home didn’t mean she could return to her old life—or her childhood sweetheart, Sean. Even their mutual attraction to one another hasn’t rebuilt the bond of trust and closeness they once shared. It’s been seven years since she returned and now everything Melanie wants to forget has broadsided her. She must confront her demons and relive her past in an unexpected way or risk losing the only man she’s ever loved. But even if she succeeds, Sean might be lost to her anyway. 

Review:

Okay, first: have you read Lifeline Echoes? Because if you haven't, go read it. I'll wait.

Are you back? Alrighty, we'll move on with this one then!

Yes, this is another series I fell in love with this summer. I know, I seem to like everything I read, right? But this one is worth its rating, I promise. This is the second book in the series and with it we get to revisit Sandy and Ryan as well as dive headlong into Melanie and Sean's romance.

Sean and Melanie have known each other since they were little kids. Sean called her the "girl with the sunshiny hair" and knew, as he got older, that Melanie was the girl for him. They had a connection that not many people ever get. But then, due to tragic family circumstances, Melanie has to go away and leave Orson's Folly. When she comes back years later as an adult, they still have a connection but Melanie is holding back. On the surface everything seems good but they are having a hard time recovering that connection the deeper level that they used to have it.

The beginning revealed some history that we learned a little about in the first book, giving us a heartbreaking  glimpse into the past. Sean and Melanie are both dynamic characters with a lot of depth to them. Melanie is hiding from a past that she is ashamed of and doesn't want Sean to know about. Because of this she is leery of committing to a permanent relationship. But a permanent relationship is what Sean wants. He's not interested in the idea of anything else with Melanie.

I love what Sean does in this story for his "job". He rehabs horses that have either been physically or emotionally scarred in some way. In other words - horses that nobody else wants, for the most part. Sean works with them and heals them. This reveals a lot about Sean's personality and shows in the way he deals with Melanie. A cowboy with a heart - gotta love him.

I love the character of Melanie. Like Sandy from the first book, she is spunky and sexy yet vulnerable. Don't back her into a corner because she'll give as good as she gets but she also has a soft heart. Ms. Springsteen tends to write strong female characters that can be a partner to the strong male characters she writes rather than submissive to the strong male and I love that. Melanie fits the bill well. 

The is one of those stories that pulls you in and keeps a firm hold until you've finished the book. And if that means staying up until 3am? Well, too bad. (Thanks for that, Kay! LOL) But bags under your eyes the next day will be worth it to find out what happens with these two. Can't wait until the next book!

















If you're looking for the first book...find it here:

well, crap....

I am woefully behind on reviews.

I know this.

I have no good excuse. No better excuse than anyone else has. Just life gets in the way and tends to get away from me. Between summer, back to school, busy work schedule, stuff to get done around the house, running the kids here and there and some medical issues for me I've just gotten really behind.

I hope to knock several out in the next week. It's not that I haven't been reading. I just haven't had a chance to sit down here and write them.

Coming up over the next two weeks I hope to get reviews posted for:

Elusive Echoes by Kay Springsteen (coming up next!)

My Killer, My Love by Mona Karel

Matching Wits With Venus by Therese Gilardi (long overdue)

Pa Weathery's Chickens by Paul Morris

Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance

Isabella's Dilemma by Anna James

Guilty as Charged by Anna James

And even a couple of more not long after that. See? I've been reading! I just need to get them written.

Elusive Echoes will be posted by tomorrow.

Thank you all for your patience!

Clubbed to Death (Jordan Davis Mysteries, Book #2) by Alyssa Lyons

My Ratings: 5 Stars 

Title: Clubbed to Death (Jordan Davis Mysteries, Book #2)

Author: Alyssa Lyons

Publisher: Black Opal Books

Cover Art: Dawné Dominique

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Length: 199 Pages with a sneak peak at the previous book in the series following at the end.

Summary:  

She’s up to her old tricks again... 

Newly minted private detective Jordan Davis takes on a murder case where family loyalty trumps sisterly hate, when she sets out to prove her half-sister innocent of murder. 

He’s wondering if he wouldn’t be safer in jail... 

Her lover, Gray, thought he had it rough during Jordan's last escapade. After all, he ended up spending a night in jail. Now with her packing heat, he wonders if jail isn't the safest place in town to be. 

Together, they’ll flip the town of Lynchburg, VA on its ear, provided they live long enough. 

As Jordan gets closer to the truth about the murder in the Junior League clubhouse, the killer is determined to see her dead. And what about the three kids Gray and Jordan are hiding?

Review: 

Don't you just love finding a new series that you, well....love? I do. It's like Christmas morning for me. When I find a series that I really enjoy, it goes on the keeper shelf. Then, when I am bored, or feeling nostalgic, or simply missing the new friends I've made in these books, I can just snag one off the shelf and re-visit them. This one is no exception. In the first book of the series, Last Wishes, I fell in love with Gray and Jordan. Getting to re-visit them has been a treat.

In fact, I've never really understood the whole “sexy little schoolgirl” fantasy that men have until I met Gray. Men in suits have never been my thing. To me they just say....soft. I like my men hard-bodied. But Gray? Well, Gray has inspired me to have “sexy men in suits” or “sexy men in black judge's robes” fantasies. That can be just downright disturbing considering how often I visit courthouses for work. Especially when you consider the fact that most judges that I see could (almost) be my dad. Or, at the very least, the creepy perverted uncle at family gatherings. Just eww. Gray is about as far on the opposite end of the spectrum from “eww” as you can get though. Whether he is doing the “I'm on the side of the law, obey me” routine, or the “I'm a sensitive guy, let me run a bath for you” routine, he is H.O.T. And, the scenes between the sheets are sizzling.

Then there is Jordan. I want Jordan to be my new BFF. She is so much fun with such a devil-may-care attitude. I love the fact that she rides a motorcycle and wears red leather. I adore the fact that she got her dog a leather jacket to ride her motorcycle with her. And the fact that she wants nothing to do with the snobby junior league. On the flip side of that, she is open-minded enough to take those junior league snobs and see to the people they are beneath the surface instead of just the picture they present to the world. Jordan is compassionate, caring and there is so much more to her than what she appears to be. The way she gets around Gray's concerns and sometimes overly protective attitude are so similar to how I get around my husband on occasion that I feel as though we could be sisters.

The secondary characters are, as usual, vivid and entertaining. Fireball is still sexy and mysterious. I would love to see more of this guy. Gray's mother is her usual fun self and the kids are adorable. Kiki is just too pinch-her-cheeks cute, making you want to just scoop her up and hug her. The other two, Paul and Emma, are the type of kids that are old beyond their years and make you want to see them have the childhood they deserve. It also wouldn't surprise me to see them on their own adventures on the written page when they are all grown up. The addition of the kids does make me wonder about the future dynamics between all of the characters, most especially (naturally) Gray and Jordan. The mystery is nail-biting with plenty of misdirection and suspense.

I look forward to the next installment in this series (there will be another installment, won't there Ms. Lyons? Pretty please?) with great anticipation. If you enjoy the romantic suspense genre, real characters and great humor, I highly recommend checking this series out. If you haven't yet had the chance to check out Last Wishes, well...what are you waiting for? But, even if you haven't, these books can be read as stand-alone books. 

 

Double Crossing by Meg Mims

My Rating: 4 Stars

Title: Double Crossing

Author: Meg Mims

Publisher: Astraea Press

Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense

Length: 215 Pages

Summary: 

A murder arranged as a suicide … a missing deed  … and a bereft daughter whose sheltered world is shattered.

 

August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father’s murder. The police believe it was a suicide but she knows the truth. Guilt plagues her, since she argued bitterly with her father about the family lawyer’s loyalty. And only that lawyer knew her father had possession of a valuable California gold mine deed—a deed vital to fight a court battle against another claimant in California. Now the deed and the lawyer are missing.

Determined to track her father’s killer and join her uncle in Sacramento to fight the court case, Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad. After her baggage is ransacked in her Omaha hotel room, she realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey. It seems her father’s killer believes she is taking the deed west to Sacramento. And as things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust—the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her … for a price.

Danger, intrigue and a second murder turn this adventure west into true peril. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal?

Review: 

There was a time, long, long ago, when I would devour historicals like candy. Then I got bored. Probably because it felt like I had read damned near every plot imaginable. So to say that I was surprised at how quickly I got sucked into this one is an understatement. This one is like taking all the best things about a former love, combining it with all the best things about a new love and then adding a dash of adventure and intrigue. Don't be fooled - this is not your standard historical.


Lily has been raised well off. She has never had to want for much of anything and has been spoiled by doting parents. This is not to say that she is a spoiled brat. I only point this out because it makes her behavior later that much more courageous. This is also not to say that she hasn't known heartache. Her mother died when she was younger and her father was off fighting in the Civil War. All of this only brings Lily and her father closer and they are friends as well as father/daughter. When Lily's father is murdered in such a way to make it appear as a suicide, Lily knows immediately that this is not the case. After a couple of days in which Lily is lost in a haze of grief, she becomes determined to see her father's killer brought to justice. This sets Lily on a path that will take her across the country in a setting that is rarely seen in a historical romance to the extent that Ms. Mims gives us.


Set during the time less than six months after the Golden Spike Ceremony that connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, the unique thing about this novel is that the majority of it takes place on a train. The author does an excellent job in describing not only the railroad cars and what you could expect to experience on a trip with this new railroad but also the surroundings. As you are reading you can visualize the views from the windows, the little towns or stations that pass by and the towns that the railroad stops in. The sheer amount of research that had to be done to accomplish this is mind-boggling.


The characters are well developed and enjoyable. Lily is the type of character that I really enjoy seeing in novels. Despite her age, she is very spunky and determined. Despite her fear of a killer, she refuses to back down from her goal. She stands up to an overbearing aunt with admiral aplomb and, realizing that she only has herself to depend on, hires protection for herself. She is intelligent, quick thinking and compassionate. The protection she hires for herself comes in the form of Ace Diamond, a ruffian who almost literally falls in her lap. While the motives, and character, of Mr. Diamond remain somewhat elusive he shows himself to be loyal and quite capable of holding up his end of the bargain. The secondary characters of the aunt and uncle, Lily's suitor Charles and her new friend Kate are each unique in their own individual ways, easily distinguishable from each other in personality, behavior and quirks.


The plot is also well developed and the mystery and intrigue will keep you guessing throughout the novel and turning the pages in a hurry to see what happens next. One might think that a train would be limiting in a suspense but given the limitations of the social restrictions of the time period and the fact that the main character is female it only adds to the story.


My only complaint about Double Crossing would be that, for a romance, there really isn't much romance in it. The tension between Ace and Lily could have been built up considerably more and earlier on, which would have added quite a bit to the romantic portion of the story. We also don't get the obvious 'happily ever after' that romance novels are known for. We only get a shadow of that. The ending is a bit ambiguous and is unclear as to whether we are meant to imagine the future happy ending for ourselves or if it is being left open to a sequel.


Overall, I really enjoyed this book - the uniqueness of the setting, the vividness of the descriptions and the volume of research that it is obvious the author put into it all made the book come alive. It kept me up well into the early morning hours, turning the pages, anxious to see what happened. If you enjoy historicals, especially if you like new settings, you should check this one out.


This book is such a new release (just released on 8/9/11) that I'm not sure where to direct you to find a copy just yet, other than the publisher's website: Astraea Press. That link will take you directly to the page for the book and, I believe, there are various formats available directly through the Astraea Press store. I will post an update when it's available at other locations, like Barnes & Noble and/or Amazon, if I find out about it.

The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

My Rating: 5 Stars

Title: The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers Trilogy #1)

Author: G.P. Ching

Publisher: DarkSide Publishing

      Cover Art: Adam Bedore/Anjin Designs

Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Young Adult with some religious elements

Length: 272 Pages with a bonus preview of the book Anathema by Megg Jensen at the end.

Summary: 

When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother's car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can't find his mother's body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, a beautiful and mysterious neighbor, Dr. Abigail Silva, offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a gifted warrior charged with protecting human souls. He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions Dr. Silva's motives for helping him. 

Review: 

I'll be honest, the first time I sat down to read this book I had a hard time getting into it. I finally set it aside for a while. It wasn't the book's fault. Or the author's. I just had a lot going on in my life at the time and couldn't manage to summon the focus necessary to absorb this book. And it deserves that kind of focus.

There are so many things going on that you need to be able to concentrate solely on this book to give it the attention it deserves. It's like one of those movies where you can't risk looking away for a second or you will miss something. That said, you want to trust me on this: it's worth it.

For a teenager, Jacob is a strong character. He is well developed, as are all the characters, with all the flaws and quirks necessary to make him become real. He has a very strong sense of self and loyalty. He is a kid who knows who he is and he refuses to let anybody change that. Even in the small town atmosphere that he finds himself in. When he is taken from his home in Hawaii and forced to live with his Uncle in Paris, Illinois, Jacob has to adapt to an entirely new way of life. Not only is he living with relatives that he never even knew existed but he also has to leave island life far behind. No more sand and sea, casual attitudes and acceptance of his differences. Here his differences are glaringly obvious and he's not allowed to forget it.Jacob also slowly becomes aware of the fact that he is different in other ways too. Ways that aren't quite....normal. In a quest to figure out who...or what....he is, and his quest to find his missing mother, he is brought together with Dr. Silva and they have adventures quite unlike anything I have read before.

Even the secondary characters, Malini (I loved this character), Uncle John, Dr. Silva, even the kids at school, just leap off the page at you. It's like they are sitting next to you telling you their stories. Malini is Jacob's best friend and love interest and she is lovely. Mature beyond her years and determined not to forget her heritage like her parents seem to being trying to do, she is the perfect counter-character to Jacob. Malini helps Jacob adjust and settle in to this new life. She is very accepting of his differences and determined to help him figure things out. And Dr. Silva? Well, I'll let you discover her on your own. She is distinctly unique.

This author will keep you guessing until the very end on who the true "bad guys" are and who the good guys are. Each character has so much depth to them that you truly see what real people they are and that everybody has flaws. The plot is very well developed, so in depth, with so many twists and turns that it will keep you engrossed from start to finish. There are some Christian elements to the book, but I won't say more than that because I don't want to give anything away. I will say that it's not "in your face" Christian but very intriguing and interesting. The worldbuilding involved in this book is fantastic and I could see it in your mind as clearly as a movie.

This book has it all. Teen angst, magic, good versus evil, fantasy, first love and suspense. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It leaves you wanting to see what happens and wanting to return to the world of Jacob and Malini. Entertaining enough, that any editorial flaws (which I didn't notice many) are easily overlooked because you are so drawn into the world that you just don't care. As the first in a series, it is easily a stand along novel, so no worries there. Thoroughly enjoyable. This book is available in both paperback and for ereaders.