TLC Book Tours Book Review: Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball Of Death

Author: Mark Reutlinger
Title: Mrs Kaplan & the Matzoh Ball Of Death
Publisher: Albi
Publish Date: Nov 18, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours & Net Galley

Blurb: Move over, Miss Marple—Mark Reutlinger’s charming cozy debut introduces readers to the unforgettable amateur sleuth Rose Kaplan and her loyal sidekick, Ida.

Everyone knows that Rose Kaplan makes the best matzoh ball soup around—she’s a regular matzoh ball maven—so it’s no surprise at the Julius and Rebecca Cohen Home for Jewish Seniors when, once again, Mrs. K wins the honor of preparing the beloved dish for the Home’s seder on the first night of Passover.

But when Bertha Finkelstein is discovered facedown in her bowl of soup, her death puts a bit of a pall on the rest of the seder. And things go really meshugge when it comes out that Bertha choked on a diamond earring earlier stolen from resident Daisy Goldfarb. Suddenly Mrs. K is the prime suspect in the police investigation of both theft and murder. Oy vey—it’s a recipe for disaster, unless Rose and her dear friend Ida can summon up the chutzpah to face down the police and solve the mystery themselves.

Review: I absolutely loved this book. Rose and Ida live in a Jewish Senior Home. When one of the residents ends up dead, Rose is the prime suspect. (It was Rose's soup, Bertha went face down in)

The story is told from Ida'a point of view, and she's really such fun. This was really a different kind of cozy. You'll definitely learn a bit of Yiddish while reading this book. You'll also laugh.

I found that reading this was a bit like Sherlock Holmes meets Jessica Fletcher.

Rose was a spunky character. I love how they went about unearthing how Bertha died and the character's they met along the way, especially the burglar, Flo.

The police never seemed to bother Rose, even though she was their prime suspect. I found it kind of odd, since they were treating her death as a possible homicide and then there was the stolen earring that belonged to another retirement home member.

Like any good cozy there are subplots/mysteries and family dramas going on, that keep the reader interested.

It is a great start to a new cozy mystery series!

Rating: 5 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Red Book Of Primrose House

Author: Marty Wingate
Title: The Red Book of Primrose House
Publisher: Alibi
Publish Date: Nov 4, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours and NetGalley

Book Blurb: In Marty Wingate’s charming new Potting Shed Mystery, Texas transplant Pru Parke’s restoration of a historic landscape in England is uprooted by an ax murderer.

Pru Parke has her dream job: head gardener at an eighteenth-century manor house in Sussex. The landscape for Primrose House was laid out in 1806 by renowned designer Humphry Repton in one of his meticulously illustrated Red Books, and the new owners want Pru to restore the estate to its former glory—quickly, as they’re planning to showcase it in less than a year at a summer party.

But life gets in the way of the best laid plans: When not being happily distracted by the romantic attentions of the handsome Inspector Christopher Pearse, Pru is digging into the mystery of her own British roots. Still, she manages to make considerable progress on the vast grounds—until vandals wreak havoc on each of her projects. Then, to her horror, one of her workers is found murdered among the yews. The police have a suspect, but Pru is certain they’re wrong. Once again, Pru finds herself entangled in a thicket of evil intentions—and her, without a hatchet.

Review: I love this beautiful English cozy series. Pru Parke is just a great, unique heroine. She's 51 and working as head gardener at a manor house in Sussex.

I love that she only has one love interest, Christopher Pearse, and that their relationship is a good one and we get to see that develop as this book goes one. Christopher plays a bigger part in Pru's life rather than the mystery in this book. He also is doing his best to protect her from the killer too.

The mystery involves the death of one of her assistants, after a string of vandals hit the garden she's working in. At first you think the victim just might have deserved what he got. He was a bit of an old fashioned guy and a curmudgeon at large, but as the story goes on, you find he really did care for his daughter's well being.

The police have a suspect or two, but like Pru, you know that they can't be right. In fact, you might be a little bit angry at their first choice of suspects, when you have at least two floating around your head as potentials.

You also get to learn a bit more about Pru's English ancestry in this book, which proves to be as exciting as the murder. There's also some drama surrounding Christopher's son, who is working in Dubai.

The mystery is solved before the book is finished, which felt a little bit odd to me, but there were other things, like the status of Pru's employment that needed wrapping up. It made the end of the book feel a bit awkward, but it didn't hurt the quality of the story at all.

There's great character development here and a whole slew of quirky secondary characters that make this a great read and a great series.


Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Unteachable

Author: Leah Raeder
Title: Unteachable
Publisher: Atria
Publish Date: Oct 14, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb:  

Maise O’Malley just turned eighteen, but she’s felt like a grown-up her entire life. The summer before senior year, she has plans: get into a great film school, convince her mom to go into rehab, and absolutely do not, under any circumstances, screw up her own future.

But life has a way of throwing her plans into free-fall.

When Maise meets Evan at a carnival one night, their chemistry is immediate, intense, and short-lived. Which is exactly how she likes it: no strings. But afterward, she can’t get Evan out of her head. He’s taught her that a hookup can be something more. It can be an unexpected connection with someone who truly understands her. Someone who sees beyond her bravado to the scared but strong girl inside.

That someone turns out to be her new film class teacher, Mr. Evan Wilke.

Maise and Evan resolve to keep their hands off each other, but the attraction is too much to bear. Together, they’re real and genuine; apart, they’re just actors playing their parts for everyone else. And their masks are slipping. People start to notice. Rumors fly. When the truth comes to light in a shocking way, they may learn they were just playing parts for each other, too.

Review: Unteachable is almost a Lolita for the modern age, but Maise isn't a naive young thing. She's 18, she's street smart and she's got quite a messed up life.

This is a book that you will be shocked and intrigued by. Maise and Evan aren't your average couple, but there's nothing average about either one of them.

Maise is the daughter of a druggie/drug dealer. Everything she has, she's got on her own. She's pretty much raised herself. So when she hooks up with a much older guy at the fair,  you don't think twice about it. She is 18.  You also don't know Evan's age when they hook up either.

Then they meet again at school, where Evan is Maise's film studies teacher.

I could deal with most of their relationship at the beginning. I mean, the "hot for teacher" thing is quite common, but the fact that their relationship is really rooted in sex made things ultra creepy at times.

And then there's Wesley, the boy her own age, that has a stalker-esque crush on her. I have to say, I was team Wesley throughout the book. I felt Wes would have brought stability to her life, whereas Evan was just going to screw her up, especially when you find out he has secrets of his own.

I loved Leah's writing. It pulled you in, even if you didn't quite agree with what the characters were doing. Maise, in particular. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of psychological things you could say about her behavior, but really, she's just a screwed up kid.

I felt bad for her. There was nothing good about this girl's life, and the choices she makes will have some shaking their heads, but then again, she is only 18.

I often felt that though Maise and Evan had a bit in common, like their love of films and both coming from very dysfunctional families, that their relationship was really rooted in sex. I love you seemed to get tossed in there, because when you are spending that much time "doing it" you should have some emotional attachment. My thought's on their attachment? Someone has daddy issues.

This book is out to push boundaries and take you out of your comfort zone. It took me out of mine, because even though both characters would be legal in any other circumstances, Evan being her teacher made things wrong, and the fact he hooked up with another young girl before makes him a perv in my book. I simply couldn't like him. And I couldn't grasp Maise's actions once she found out about his past either.

The writing was solid and it was a definite page turner, but it creeped me out too much to be a winner.

Rating: 3 flowers

Book Review: Miracle At The Higher Grounds Cafe

Author: Max Lucado
Title: Miracle At The Higher Grounds Cafe
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would he answer?

Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Café, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.

Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea's door, and with him, an even curiouser string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Café, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They've come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the café has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life's biggest questions.

When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

Review: This isn't the type of book I'm used to when it comes to Max Lucado, but it was a refreshingly sweet read.

It felt like a cross between two of Debbie Macomber's holiday series, the Mrs. Miracle books and the Angel books. Now this book isn't about finding love, but it is about finding God and fixing relationships. It is the kind of novel you need when you want to cry happy tears and just feel good.

It is light and fluffy and fun.

The God Blog concept is really amusing. Its something that most people would flock to. I mean, who wouldn't want to ask God one question and have it answered?

But the God blog is only part of it. This book is about Chelsea Chambers, a women stepping away from a failing marriage to take over her family's old coffee shop, that has many more problems than she can handle. Chelsea is a good woman, but she has a lot of issues and she doesn't want to put them to god's ear.

Then enter Manny, who is much more than just a barista. He is a riot and it is impossible not to love him and his quirkly love for Star Wars.

Oh and her soon to be (well maybe soon to be) ex-husband Sawyer, a NFL player gone awry, steps back into her life, willing to make things right in their marriage.

What makes this novel so wonderful is that it it doesn't preach, but shows the wonders of faith, even to people that might be "doubting Thomases."

This book has family drama, and a few miracles and it shows the goodness of people.

If you are looking for a Christian based "feel good" novel, this is definitely one.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Dang Near Dead

Author: Nancy G. West
Title: Dang Near Dead
Publisher: Henery Press
Publish Date: Sept 30, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Aggie vacations with Sam and Meredith at a Texas Hill Country dude ranch with plans to advise her column readers how to stay young and fresh in summer. Except for wranglers, dudes, heat, snakes and poison ivy, what could go wrong?

When an expert rider is thrown from a horse and lies in a coma, Aggie is convinced somebody caused the fall. Despite Sam’s warnings, Aggie is determined to expose the assailant. She concocts ingenious sleuthing methods that strain their dicey relationship as she probes secrets of the ranch and its inhabitants. After she scatters a hornet’s nest of cowboys, she discovers more than one hombre in the bunch would like to slit her throat.

Review: This is the second book in the Aggie Mundeen Mystery series.  I really loved this book, much more than Fit To Be Dead.
 
Aggie is much more tolerable in this book. She's a genuinely fun character, but her obsession with staying young was a bit much in the first book. That is not the case here.

She's at a dude ranch for vacation with her friends Meredith and Sam. Enter so many quirky characters, from ranch employees to other visitors, that you'll be laughing almost from the start.

Before the main mystery starts you learn the original ranch owners were found dead a few years back by Bertha. That's something Aggie wants to investigate from the get go and then Vicki is thrown from her horse and well, let the sleuthing begin.

I do have one issue with this series. It is set in the 90s, but the reader doesn't know that for quite awhile. (When Vietnam vets are said to be in their 40s and even that is off in a lot of instances) I like to know the time period of the books I'm reading, and this was one thing I did find a little annoying.

The sleuthing was much better in this one. I liked that Aggie was working more with Sam, than going it alone. It helped in the development of her relationship with him too. (Though she still hasn't told him her secret). Speaking of secrets, her's really shouldn't be a big deal in the 1990s..the 60s yes, the 90s no.

This is a fun, quirky mystery that kept me turning the pages.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Huckleberry Christmas

Author: Jennifer Beckstrand
Title: Huckleberry Christmas
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publish Date: Oct 7, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Now that they've happily married off two of their grandchildren, Anna and Felty Helmuth are ready for their next matchmaking challenge. What better way to celebrate the most heartwarming of seasons--and make Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin, the place for unexpected love. . .

A difficult marriage has left the Helmuths' widowed great-granddaughter, Beth, finished with wedlock. She's content to live with them and make a life for herself and her toddler son. But once she turns down handsome Tyler Yoder's proposal, it seems only fair to encourage him to find a suitable wife. Trouble is, his gentleness and generous ways are showing her how joyous a real meeting of hearts can be. . .

After a failed courtship, Tyler thought the best he could hope for in a wife was mere companionship. But spirited Beth is the one he longs to protect, and hold close. Earning her trust is the hardest thing he's ever had to do. And soon, both will discover that forgiveness and understanding are gifts that only rekindled faith--along with the happiest of holidays--can bring.

Review:  This is one of the sweetest Amish romances that you'll ever read. Anna Helmuth is quite the matchmaker and this time she's planning on getting her granddaughter, Beth hooked up with Tyler Yoder, who was jilted by his last choice of bride.

Our hero and heroine are both a bit shy of marriage/love. Beth is out of an abusive  relationship, not only with her departed husband, but also her inlaws. As you discover more and more about her husband Amos and his mom and brothers, you can't help but feel terribly sorry for her.  Her son Toby, is the most precious thing. I loved how he calls people he loves "Mommy."

Tyler is the best hero ever, as far as Amish romance is concerned. He is all kindness and goodness. Even though he doesn't expect to find love after his last relationship went awry, his feelings for Beth are there almost from the start. (Even when she's hitting him with sunflowers).

When Beth refuses Tyler's proposal, she offers to find him a bride. Her matchmaking is hilarious, and almost as funny as the old Amish bachelors that come courting her. Vernon is an absolute hoot, and he doesn't seem to realize that there is someone else in her heart.

This is an absolutely wonderful read for the holiday season and a great book for lovers of Amish romance.

I highly recommend it!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Maybe This Christmas

Author: Sarah Morgan
Title: Maybe This Christmas
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: Oct 28, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

This winter, ex-skiing champion, reformed heartbreaker and single dad Tyler O'Neil has only one mission—making sure his daughter, Jess, has the best Christmas ever. The fact that his best friend, Brenna, is also temporarily moving into his chalet at the overbooked Snow Crystal resort is a delicious distraction he's simply going to have to ignore. Theirs is the one relationship he's never ruined, and he's not about to start now.

Ski pro Brenna Daniels knows all about the perils of unrequited love—she's been in love with Tyler for years. But living with him is absolute torture… How can she concentrate on being his friend when he's sleeping in the room next door? Then when Tyler kisses Brenna, suddenly the relationship she's always dreamed of feels so close she could almost touch it. Could this be the Christmas her dreams of a happy-ever-after finally come true?

Review: This is the third installment in the O'Neill brothers series, and I have to say, I wish there were more brothers. I love going back to Snow Crystal.

I'm not a winter person, or an outdoorsy person, but when I open one of the O'Neill books, I want to be at Snow Crystal eating at the restaurants and watching the snow fly.

Tyler is the last brother to get hooked up. Throughout the series we know that there's something between him and Brenna and this book is their story.

They are bffs, but both really want more and neither is able to tell the other, until there's some meddling.

I love meddling.

Oh and I love Kayla, from the first book. She's still such a city girl and her fear of moose, erm mooses is hysterical and don't forget Elise, the sassy French chef. I'm so glad her sass is back in this book.

I really love Tyler, because he's such a bad boy, trying to be good.  I love his humor and the way he really loves his daughter. He's definitely the kind of hero that gives off the warm fuzzies. I also like how he tries to make Brenna more assertive. Lord knows, that girl needs it. She was bullied in school and has never gotten over it.

This was a really sweet romance and very low on the spice scale. There's not much going on between the sheets until the book is nearly over, and that's perfect, because this is a story where getting to the relationship is more important than the sex.

Oh and while I'm gushing...I adore Tyler's daughter, Jess and her dogs. They are perfect!

I absolutely loved this book and the rest of the series. You must read these if you are a contemporary romance fan!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: The Nightingale Girls

Author: Donna Douglas
Title: The Nightingale Girls
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: Aug 16, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned.

This utterly delightful novel brings a London pre-war hospital vividly to life.

Review: If you are a fan of Call The Midwife, then you will love The Nightingale Girls series. This is book one. In this book, you meet, Dora, Millie and Helen and a few others.

Each girl is very different but over the course of the novel, they all become friends. In this book, you will find yourself really liking all the girls.

Dora is the east end girl, who wouldn't usually have made it to The Nightingale, but Matron saw something special in her.

Millie is an aristocrat that wants to be more than just someone's wife, but she has a bad habit of screwing up or getting mixed up with the wrong men

Helen is a goody two shoes, who is living in fear of her mother, who is on the board of trustees for the hospital.

Their different personalities are what make the story so entertaining, and each girl has a lot of things going on besides the day to day duties and classes at the hospital.

Helen is the only one that doesn't have anything horrible happen to her. Her mother may  be controlling but that doesn't come near having a sexually abusive step father, like Dora, or the near fatal accident that Millie's dad suffers during this book.

Donna Douglas knows how to tug at your heartstrings too. When Blanche passes away during surgery, I admit, I crying like a baby. And when Helen found love with one of her former patients, I couldn't help but cheer for her.

This was a fantastic book and a great beginning to the series.

Rating: 5 flowers

Historical Fiction Virtual Tours Book Review: Night Of A Thousand Stars

Author: Deanna Raybourn
Title:  Night Of A Thousand Stars
Publication Date: October 1, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction
Book Blurb: New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn returns with a Jazz Age tale of grand adventure...

On the verge of a stilted life as an aristocrat's wife, Poppy Hammond does the only sensible thing—she flees the chapel in her wedding gown. Assisted by the handsome curate who calls himself Sebastian Cantrip, she spirits away to her estranged father's quiet country village, pursued by the family she left in uproar. But when the dust of her broken engagement settles and Sebastian disappears under mysterious circumstances, Poppy discovers there is more to her hero than it seems.

With only her feisty lady's maid for company, Poppy secures employment and travels incognita—east across the seas, chasing a hunch and the whisper of clues. Danger abounds beneath the canopies of the silken city, and Poppy finds herself in the perilous sights of those who will stop at nothing to recover a fabled ancient treasure. Torn between allegiance to her kindly employer and a dashing, shadowy figure, Poppy will risk it all as she attempts to unravel a much larger plan—one that stretches to the very heart of the British government, and one that could endanger everything, and everyone, that she holds dear.

Buy the Book

Amazon (Kindle)
Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)
Books-a-Million
iTunes
Kobo


Review:  Deanna Raybourn is one of my favorite authors and this book doesn't disappoint. Most know her for her Lady Julia mystery series, but she's written several other stand alone novels as well, Night Of A Thousand Stars is one of those.

This book instantly grabbed me and pulled me in. Like the Lady Julia series, this is also a mystery, but one on a more political level. It is set in the 20s and though your first thought may be that it is Downton Abbey-ish, that wouldn't be right.

Sure it starts out with a runaway bride which might start you thinking that there's an element of soap opera to the book, that would far off from what Ms Raybourn has created. This is one of those books that you really become part of while your reading. Everything is so visual.

Poppy is such a great character. She's strong, but not like Lady Julia, she's more feminine. She has a lot of moxie! Oh and you can keep up with the comparisons with Lady Julia though, because she's her niece. Let me tell you, when I learned that, I let out a very loud squee. She's Plum's daughter.

I'm hoping this means that this is going to be the start or perhaps a continuation of the Lady Julia books in this new part of the March clan.

But more about the book. She's on the quest to find Sebastain Cantrip, who helped her run from her wedding, and with a little help from her maid, they make their way to Damascus. There's a lot of intrigue and a few mishaps before she finds him, and then she learns that things aren't quite what they seem, and her adventure gets more and more exciting and dangerous.

If you've read anything by Deanna Raybourn, you'll know you won't be able to unearth what the intrigue is all about, until the very end. She's truly a master of historical mystery.


Another winner by Deanna Raybourn!

Rating: 5 flowers

About the Author

A sixth-generation native Texan, Deanna Raybourn grew up in San Antonio, where she met her college sweetheart. She married him on her graduation day and went on to teach high school English and history. During summer vacation at the age of twenty-three, she wrote her first novel. After three years as a teacher, Deanna left education to have a baby and pursue writing full-time.

Deanna Raybourn is the author of the bestselling and award-winning Lady Julia series, as well as, The Dead Travel Fast, A Spear of Summer Grass, and City of Jasmine.

For more information please visit Deanna Raybourn's website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Night of a Thousand Stars Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 29
Review & Giveaway at Bookish

Tuesday, September 30
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 1
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Thursday, October 2
Review at Ramblings From This Chick

Friday, October 3
Review at Book Babe

Monday, October 6
Review at Unabridged Chick
Spotlight & Giveaway at Reading Lark

Tuesday, October 7
Review at Candace's Book Blog
Interview & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, October 8
Review at Good Books and Good Wine

Thursday, October 9
Excerpt at A Book Geek
Guest Post & Giveaway at Good Books and Good Wine

Friday, October 10
Review at History From a Woman's Perspective

Monday, October 13
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, October 14
Review at Reading the Past
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Wednesday, October 15
Review at The Lit Bitch
Review at WTF Are You Reading?

Thursday, October 16
Review at A Bookish Affair

Friday, October 17
Interview & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Monday, October 20
Review at The Life & Times of a Book Addict
Excerpt at Historical Fiction Connection

Tuesday, October 21
Review & Giveaway at Bookshelf Fantasies
Spotlight & Giveaway at Susan Heim on Writing

Wednesday, October 22
Review, Excerpt & Giveaway at Just One More Chapter

Thursday, October 23
Review at Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Friday, October 24
Review at Curling Up By the Fire

Monday, October 27
Review & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Tuesday, October 28
Review at To Read or Not to Read

Wednesday, October 29
Review & Giveaway at Bibliophilia, Please

Thursday, October 30
Review & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Beyond Coincidence

Author: Jacquie Underdown
Title: Beyond Coincidence
Publisher: Harlequin Escape
Publish Date: Sept 1, 2014
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley & TLC Book Tours
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

Mixing romance, history, and a touch of the unexplained comes a new novel from Jacquie Underdown about love that needs to cross oceans and time before finding a place to come true.

In 2008, 250 Australian and British soldiers are uncovered in a mass grave in Fromelles, France, lost since the Great War. One soldier, bearing the wounds of war so deep it has scarred his soul, cannot be laid to rest just yet.

When Lucy bumps into the achingly sad soldier during a trip to France, she doesn’t, at first glance, realise what he is – a ghost who desperately needs her help. Lucy can’t turn away from someone who needs her, even someone non-corporeal, and they travel back together to Australia in search of answers and, hopefully, some peace.

This chance meeting and unexplainable relationship sets into motion a chain-reaction of delicate coincidences that affect the intertwined lives of family, friends, and lovers in unexpected, beautiful ways.

Review: Beyond Coincidence combines two things that I love reading about, WWI and ghosts!

It is hard to imagine being in France and being approached by a long dead soldier looking for closure. The story put me in mind of the beautiful song No Man's Land, about another battle in France in the same year. The Battle of Fromelles was one of the worst for the Allies, and definitely one of the worst for Australia. 5500 lives were lost in 24 hours. Jacquie brings one of them to life in Freddy.

I loved how eager Lucy was to help Freddy in his quest to rest, at last, in peace. There's so much heartbreak that he has to go through, including learning of the death of his wife, though she lived 88 years, and his son, who lived 75.

In the course of their journey together, Lucy finds love of her own, in the ghost's grandson, Nate. Their courtship/relationship is quite turbulent, add in a few reappearances by Lucy's ex and you get a novel that's full of drama.

What I love the most though, is learning about Freddy and his family and what happened during and after the Great War.

This is a book that will hit every emotion you have by the time it ends. In fact, I would say this is a keeper shelf book, and I'll go even further to say that this is a book you'll probably read over again.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who: The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Time Traveller

Author: Joanne Harris
Title: Doctor Who: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: August 29, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Struggling to get back to UNIT HQ, his body being destroyed by radiation, the Third Doctor arrives in the most perfect English village, where everyone is happy. But is he really on Earth, or somewhere far more strange? As his body weakens, the Doctor and the Queen of the village begin to unravel the truth.

Review: OMG OMG OMG! I've never been more moved by a Doctor Who short story than this Time Trip offering by Joanne Harris.

The story takes place just before The Third Doctor Regenerates. I'm a huge fan of Jon Pertwee's Doctor, and I have to say Joanne got him, spot on. I could see him in this strange English village, with the Queen, and the Wellness Parade.  Kudos to Joanne for going along with Who canon better than the showrunner.

The story isn't so much scary as it is sweet and very sad as the Doctor has to find out why it is always April 8th, while his body is dying of radiation poison. Not to mention that he wants to get back to Sarah Jane. (sniffle sniffle).

I loved how Joanne really brought The Third Doctor back to life here. His personality was really shining through and I particularly loved his interactions with Princess. Once you know what is going on, break out the tissues, because this story is a tear jerker.

This is actually one of the longer Time Trip installments, and it is also one of the best. If you are a Whovian, you simply must read this story.

Rating: 5 flowers

ARC Book Review: Finding Sky

Author: Susan O'Brien
Title: Finding Sky
Publisher: Henery Press
Publish Date: Oct 7, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

She’s a parent. She’s (almost) a P.I. No one gets on your case like mom.

Suburban widow and P.I. in training Nicki Valentine can barely keep track of her two kids, never mind anyone else. But when her best friend’s adoption plan is jeopardized by the young birth mother’s disappearance, Nicki is persuaded to help. Nearly everyone else believes the teenager ran away, but Nicki trusts her BFF’s judgment, and the feeling is mutual.

The case leads where few moms go (teen parties, gang shootings) and places they can’t avoid (preschool parties, OB-GYNs’ offices). Nicki has everything to lose and much to gain — including the attention of her unnervingly hot P.I. instructor. Thankfully, Nicki is armed with her pesky conscience, occasional babysitters, a fully stocked minivan, and nature’s best defense system: women’s intuition.

Review: It took me awhile to decide how I felt about Nicki Valentine. She's the kind of overprotective crazy mom, that usually drives me nuts, but as I continued through Finding Sky, I really started to like her. She's intensely loyal to her friends, Kenna and Andy. They are the reason, she's taking on the hunt for the missing teenager, whose baby, Kenna and Andy were going to adopt.

The hunt for the missing Beth, leads Nicki into some pretty nasty situations, involving drugs and gangs, and she gets put on the hit list of one of those gangs. Not something fun, when you have kids to raise.

The story starts off a little slowly, as you get to know the characters, but once Nicki starts her investigation things really get moving. This definitely wasn't the typical cozy, since there were no dead bodies. That made things more interesting. Then there's the question of will Dean be a love interest for Nicki or will he just be someone that helps her along. That's going to be fun to find out in the upcoming books. There's definitely a little bit of chemistry there, but will they act on it?

I really liked how passionate Nicki was about finding Beth and how good of a PI she's eventually going to be. She doesn't come across as an amateur sleuth at all.

I was pretty surprised at the way everything worked out in the end.

This was a great start to a new mystery series!

Rating: 4 flowers

TLC Book Tour Book Review: The Betrayed

Author: Heather Graham
Title: The Betrayed
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: Sept 30, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours & Net Galley

Book Blurb: One night, New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream—an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he’s sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard’s gone missing there.

Maureen—Mo—Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She’s actually the one to find Richard…or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Mo and Aiden, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI’s unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait—the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that’s as intense as it is unexpected…if they live long enough to enjoy it!

Review: The Betrayed is another book from the Krewe of Hunters series. All of the books are stand alone novels, so it doesn't matter what order you read them in, or if you read all of them. (Although, Graham is a stellar author when it comes to paranormal mysteries, so you might want to read them all).

This book takes place in Sleepy Hollow and involves the grisly murder of a NYC politician. The location of the murder should give you a clue as to what happened to the guy.

I wish I would have read this book before I had read The Hexed, because that one was so fantastic that this one feels a bit like a come down. It is still a great book, but the other was superb. I found myself comparing the two books too frequently.

Mo and Aiden didn't quite measure up to Devin and Rocky. The chemistry just wasn't there for me. They were a sweet couple, but I wanted more out of their relationship. Actually, I wanted them to be a couple faster than they were. They really didn't get together until the book was nearly over.

On a high note, I just loved Mo's dog Rollo. I'm a sucker for pets in books! There was a part towards the end that had me biting my nails because I really loved that dog.

Another great character was J.J., the son of one of the murder victims. He was precious, though I did have a gripe about the way he talked. He sounded more grown up than a kid his age, that suffered the kind of trauma that he did, would sound.

The mystery was great and Ms Graham really knows how to bring places like Sleepy Hollow to life on the page. The Krewe of Hunters series makes me long for Halloween and haunted houses and creepy movies.

I still recommend this book highly to lover of spooky novels and mysteries. Graham doesn't really disappoint here, but after the perfection that was The Hexed, its hard to put a rating on this one. She did do a great job of mixing history and mystery here and this book is definitely a must read.

Rating: 4 flowers