Vic: Never Give up - Serial Sunday Review

Vic: Never Give Up by Jerry Gill Book 3 Vic Challenger Series Genres: Action Adventure, Romance,    Historical Romance, Fantasy

     Vic Challenger returns for another adventure in her quest to find Nu, the son of Nu. This time Vic and her friend Lin are headed to Scotland and London in search of an artist that Vic believes to be the reincarnation of Nu. Expecting a nice, quiet, fun vacation; the pair of adventurers stumble upon slave traders, strange beasts, and much more danger than they had anticipated. But never fear, for these super women are more than up to the challenge.

Killer Date by Kathy Clark - Book Review

Killer Date by Kathy Clark Book 2 in Scandals series Genres: Action, Thriller, Suspense,     Romance

     Your typical sleazy private detective. Reno Marks, former resident of Las Vegas, has had more than his share of women and one night stands and seems proud of that fact. When Jenny Caldwell walks into the office of Scandals Investigation Agency, Reno accepts her case, free of charge, simply so he can get to know her better. But there is more to Reno than meets the eye, even more than Reno thought possible. Jenny may be petite but she is a woman of strong character that draws Reno in. He finds that he respects her as much as he yearns to feel her curves against him, and this fact alone amazes him.

Keep Calm and Ask On by Michael Samuels - Book Review

Keep Calm and Ask On: A No-Nonsense Guide to Fulfilling Your Dreams by Michael Samuels Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

     The author stresses how important it is that you define your goals and trust that everything will work out. Whether you are trusting the Universe, as Samuels phrases it, or God, fate, karma, destiny, Buddha, a higher power, etc. these principles can be applied - no matter what your beliefs or religion may be.

Unplugged by P.D. Quaver - Book Review

Unplugged by P.D. Quaver Genres: Young Adult, Thriller

     Unplugged is a thrilling tale aimed at young adults. A group of kids are sent to a new summer camp that claims to wean the children off of their dependence and addictions to electronics. But all is not as it appears as it turns out that this summer camp is merely a front for a kidnapping scheme. The kids are whisked away to a remote island and held hostage. Ironically, they DO learn to live and succeed without any electronic benefits. This is reminiscent of a modern day Lord of the Flies - almost, kinda, sorta. The classic book is mentioned in the story and may spark interest in your youngster, if they enjoy this tale, and I'm all for getting today's kids interested in reading classics.

Prodigal Nights - Fun Read Friday

Prodigal Nights by Lisa Buffaloe Genres: Romance, Christian

     This is another story where the main character is ticked off at God, but then sees the light and forgives Him for all the garbage that they have had to endure in life. I'm almost starting to wonder if these books find their way into my hands through fate or divine intervention in an attempt to get me back on speaking terms with God. But I digress ...

     Bethany has a wild past but is trying to mend her evil ways. Jason has also sown his share of wild oats and is attempting to plow under this crop and follow a good Christian path. When they meet, they both felt shame about their pasts and feared that the other would find fault.

     There really isn't much "He loves me, he loves me not" in this book, which is a relief. However there is an almost annoying amount of "can I trust him/her" and fear of getting hurt and/or whether or not they deserve someone so seemingly perfect in spite of their lurid past.

     That said, the story had many light hearted humorous bits that had me laughing out loud and the end was amazingly gripping. Regardless of my responsibilities and schedules, I did not manage to set this down until the end.

No Words Alone - Review

No Words Alone by Autumn Dawn First book in series Genres: Science Fiction, Romance,   Fantasy

     This novel is the perfect example of why I avoid reading the first book of a series. I loved it and I want to read more. Science fiction is predominently a man's genre, written by men for men, full of geeky high tech text that can make my eyes glaze over when I don't understand it. I have always enjoyed the concept of space travel though and marveled at the main stream egocentric idea that the earth is the only planet in the entire universe capable of sustaining any form of life.

     Xera is stranded on a planet that contains hungry hostile native creatures. She is in the company of her shipmates and the crew of an enemy alien race that also crash landed on the planet. As the only woman, she doesn't trust either group of men further than she can throw them.

     Author Autumn Dawn has taken two genres which are not my normal first choice to read and combined them to make this very original romantic story within a science fiction setting. The alien nation that resides within the Scorpio constellation is seen as savages by the human population but on closer inspection have some very gentle and caring customs within their society. Outsiders, however, are another story.

     Autumn Dawn also succeeds in avoiding a couple of pitfalls that many authors fall into that annoys the heck out of me: The "he loves me, he loves me not" scenario, and the cliffhanger. In spite of some editing issues, it is a great read that I highly recommend and that I moved into the folder on my kindle reserved for series books that I want to read more books of.

Midnight Guests and Other Weird Stories - Saturday Shorts Book Review

Midnight Guests and Other Weird Stories by Amy Michelle Mosier Genre: Horror

     This book is a collection of several short stories by author Amy Michelle Mosier. The tales are incredibly chilling with many downright creepy moments. This was my first reading of this author and I was very impressed. The plots were original, entertaining, and well thought out. I highly recommend this book as an excellent introduction to an unknown author. These short stories will be enjoyed by any readers who love horror that may be interested in finding their next favorite author.

I give it 5 stars!