The Big Wide Calm - Fun Read Friday Book Review

The Big Wide Calm by Rich Marcello Genre: Drama

     The big wide calm can mean different things to different people. Basically it is that place in life where you are completely relaxed and happy with where you are in life. As with most things in life, it isn't always about the destination but with the journey to get there. Singer/songwriter, Paige Plant is working on her first album. She believes she is destined to be famous. But not just famous, she is striving to be one of those artists that cross generations and whose music is cherished for years to come. Her songs are based on her definition of the big wide calm and what she feels is required to reach it.

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.

Playmates by Jess C Scott - Fun Read Friday Review

Playmates Book 1 - Wilde Twins series by Jess C. Scott Genre: Psychological Thriller

     Author Scott produces a promising beginning to her Wilde Twins series where fraternal twins are a grisly brother sister team of serial killers. In this first book she begins by introducing us to them as children. We see how Tania goes from a normal 9 year old girl to a teen with little or no empathy, especially for those that seem to have a better life than she does.

     *SPOILER ALERT* nope not going to give away the conclusion of the story. I couldn't if I wanted to since there was no conclusion, just a cliff for me to dangle off of. For those readers who enjoy cliff hangers, you're going to love this one. Personally, I feel jipped. When I invest my time to read a book and don't get some closure, some sense that the book has ended, even if there is a sequel there should be some sense of a conclusion to this book before the next one begins. Ok, off my soap box about my biggest pet peeve and moving on...

     The characters are incredibly well developed. Their actions and reactions are realistic and gives insight to the reader as to how and why the twins develop exactly as they do psychologically and allows us to sympathize with Tania even if we do not condone her actions.

     This installation of the series definitely piques one's interest to follow the Wilde twins lives to see where fate takes them next.

I give it 4 stars!

Seeker by Jerome Gilden - Fun Read Friday Book Review

Seeker by Jerome Gilden Timeline Series #2 Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

     Jerry Daniels is back for this sequel to the original book Tracers. He is a bit older, wiser and much more powerful. It required massive amounts of damage to have killed off the entire Royal family and Jerry is determined to find out how and why, hopefully before those behind it decide to unleash their power onto the mortals of the world.

Moonpennies - Fun Read Friday Book Review

Moonpennies by Alanna Rosette Genre:Romantic Comedy

     Lina Daniels' mother explained to her when she was young that there is no such thing as true love. Surprisingly enough, Lina grows up to have commitment issues. Always waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak, Lina pushes guys away before they can leave and break her heart. She also has a tendency to pursue the unattainable guys. Boy does this ever sound familiar.

     Unlike normal romance books, the main character has a quirky wit and many of the situations she finds herself in are incredibly humorous, if not very realistic - but that is what makes them so hilarious. This book is most definitely a fun read - incredibly light, humorous, and the story was so easy to pour through that I cannot recall any errors, if there were any.

     If I could change anything, it would be the ending. While not quite the traditional cliff hanger, there was still the sense of "Ohmigosh I can't believe the book ended THERE!" I definately cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book and would recommend the series to readers who enjoy a bit of humor with their romance.

I give it 4 stars!

Dragon Circle - Fun Read Friday Book Review

Dragon Circle by Casey Fry Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

     Dragons guard the humans of the world. But who watches over the dragons? Throughout history 5 humans are appointed as Guardians to help out the dragons when needed. But when the Guardians were last called upon, one thousand years ago, all did not go as planned. Now, in modern day times, a group of high school students learn that they are the reincarnated souls of the Guardians and are being called upon to set things right.

Beyond Doorways - Fun Read Friday Book Review

Beyond Doorways by Casey Fry Genres: Suspense, Horror

     This book is a collection of short stories where Fry shows a remarkable talent for building up suspense and drawing it out until you can feel a shiver creeping up your spine. A wonderful introduction to Casey Fry's writing which does an incredible job of enticing readers to experience more of her books. Errors were few and far between and hardly distracting at all.

The Big Empty - Fun Read Friday Book Review

The Big Empty by Ritch Gaiti Genres: Suspense, Thriller

     Rick Wallace is just barely surviving. He's been drowning his sorrows with alcohol for years and is beyond caring if he drowns himself in the process. Just as things are looking bleak for his tottering law office, a wealthy client offers him what appears to be too much money for a seemingly easy job. But his client only gives him a few threads to grasp and as he attempts to unravel the clues he finds he just has a tangled mess that makes no sense. While Rick investigates this bizarre situation, the reader is also trying to fit together the pieces of Rick's past to get a clear picture of why he had fled from New York and spent the past 10 years pickled in a bottle in Tecumseh.

Absolutely Unforgivable - Fun Read Friday Book Review

Absolutely Unforgivable by Tracy Tegan Genre: Romance

     While Stacy is working her way through college as a bartender she meets and falls for Mr. Perfect. He is temporarily located in her hometown of Tulsa for his job. They are together for over a year when Jeromy's task is finished and he is ready to move on to his next project. He asks Stacy to come with him. Since Stacy has already graduated, she agrees to relocate to his hometown near Houston, TX where they will share a house with Jeromy's best friend Billy. Stacy is slightly overwhelmed in such a large city like none she has ever seen before. There is an electronically charged chemistry between Stacy and Billy almost from the beginning. Will they resist the pull they feel for each other and remain faithful to the trust that Jeromy has in them? You'll just have to read for yourself to find out.

Gamblers Fight Back - Fun Read Friday

Gamblers Fight Back: A Professional Gambler's Journey of How to Survive and Thrive in the Casino by Greg Elder Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography

     I'm not much of a gambler but we have several casinos in the area that I'm constantly getting dragged to by friends. If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck so gambling really isn't very entertaining to me. However, I figured that learning a little strategy couldn't hurt and maybe by increasing my skill I could make up a bit for my rotten luck.

Flying Soup - Fun Read Friday Book Review

Flying Soup by Bobby Adair Genres: Fiction, Humor, Satire

     According to the author's forward, this book was conceived and written long before the days of YouTube, but sat unmarketed, yet it depicts a concept that is quite similar. What began as a cyclist who was tired of feeling bullied by motorists ... correction - his roommate was tired of hearing the complaints Christian often returned home with ... a personal surveillance camera system was affixed to his bike and helmet to capture on film proof of the rudeness of humanity. But once proof was acquired what could be done with it? There were no laws broken so there wasn't anything the police could do. The three roommates decided to start a website to make such videos publicized, where other users could upload their own videos of similar experiences in the hopes that a little public ostracism and humiliation would spotlight such actions and make people think twice before being rude to some anonymous person simply because they could get away with it.

Exodus Lost - Fun Read Friday Review

Exodus Lost by S.C. Compton Genres: History, Nonfiction

     You may be thinking, "a historical nonfiction book as a Fun Read Friday? You've got to be joking!" But I'm not. History doesn't have to be dull and boring, that is entirely up to the author and subject matter. The Olmecs were an ancient people that just suddenly appeared in Mexico. There has been no archeological findings of them developing their technology. They arrived with this knowledge and subsequently influenced both the Mayan and Aztec cultures. But where did they come from?

     Due to high acidity levels in the soil and the rain forest environment, archeologists don't have much to work with. Human remains and even most ceramics haven't survived these harsh conditions. Compton hypothesizes that this society migrated from Egypt. He goes to great lengths comparing many aspects of Egyptian culture to what is known of the Olmecs. Religion, funerary beliefs, sacrificial traditions, architecture, even clothing is similar and lends credence to his theory. How could two cultures, separated by an ocean be so similar without being related somehow?

     Compton points out that the Olmecs sacrificed to a rain god. He ponders as to why a society in a rain forest would offer sacrifices to appease a god that is most traditionally worshiped by desert people who pray for rain. While it is most likely that he is correct with his conclusion that this rain god was "grandfathered" into the Olmec society from their desert dwelling ancestors, another aspect occurred to me. Now I don't profess to be an expert on ancient gods, but it seems to me that an angry rain god has two extreme options to punish his subjects, drought or flood. I ponder if it is likely that while the Olmecs adopted this god from their ancestors they may have wanted to appease him in times of great storms to stop the rain and not that they were praying for rain to come. It has been raining here for three days now, I might be willing to sacrifice a goat in the hopes that the rain would stop.

     While the author is describing Egyptian times, he also touches on biblical stories. Truth be told, I'm not a very religious person. I was raised in parochial school and am familiar with various biblical stories but again, I am no expert. However, I find it fascinating when archaeology and historians find proof that the Bible is not just a story but actual history. Compton cites cases of tree circles and polar cap borings that support the story of Joseph's seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, as well as credible explanations and hypotheses of additional biblical stories.

     I found this book interesting on so many levels. Those with a Kindle Fire can enjoy the multitude of pictures and drawings in full color. Readers that own an e-reader with a touch screen can easily access the end notes as they are referenced, which I highly suggest. The footnotes contain more than just information that cites the books being referenced but also sometimes contains the exact quote from said book as well as further clarification of the point being made.

     I highly recommend this book to anyone with even the remotest interest in ancient history, Egyptian history, or even biblical history.

I give it 4 stars!

Shocking Pink - Fun Read Friday Review

Shocking Pink by Erica Spindler Genre: Thriller

     Andie, Raven and Julie had been friends since childhood. Their band of friendship had even survived the traumatic summer of '83 when the girls became material witnesses to a creepy murder.

     A friend of mine had given me this to read, though I'm not entirely sure why as it does not fall within my usual preferred genre.

     Plenty of plot twists to keep you guessing but frankly are fairly predicatble. Racy references to kinky sex lead me to not recommend this book to anyone under 21 even though it isn't horribly graphic or detailed.

I give it 2 stars.

QR Code Killer - Fun Read Friday Review

QR Code Killer by Shanna Hatfield Genre: Romantic Suspense

     Mad Dog Weber is a tough as nails detective hot on the trail of a psychopath named Zeus. Suddenly the tables are turned and the psychopath starts hunting the detective, using QR codes to taunt the authorites. Mad Dog, known to her family as Maddie, returns home for a sabbatical while recovering from a nasty knife wound. While visiting the family ranch, she finds the one thing that turns a hard-core detective to jelly ... a well muscled ranch hand. Maddie worries that the vendetta Zeus is carrying out will cause her new love to leave the ranch and move on to safer pastures.

     This book isn't your typical romance. Both parties involved are fairly socially inept and tend to blurt out their feelings for the other without meaning to. I found it quite comical while they were both amazed that their confession didn't scare the other one off. If nothing else, this caused the relationship to move along quickly, avoiding the whole "he loves me, he loves me not" scenario and yet they didn't just fall right into bed upon realizing their common attraction.

Slow Hands - Fun Read Friday Review

Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly #1 in The Wrong Bed series Genre: Romance

     Socialite Maddy Turner spends a large amount of money to buy a gigolo during a bachelor auction that was organized as a charity benefit. She didn't bid on him for herself but so that her step-mother could not have him. But what Maddy hadn't expected was the strong chemistry or the fact that due to a printing error in the program, her prize was not the European gigolo she expected but an all American, down to earth, paramedic.

     This is not the type of book that I like to review on my blog. While I don't review a lot of children's books I do like to keep my posts within the family friendly category. While I used to enjoy steamy romances, I guess that I've become more of a prude in my old age. Maybe it is all the Victorian era romances that I read ... or maybe that is why I enjoy the older books now. On the rare occasion that I find I have mistakenly downloaded a book that closely borders on erotica, I generally don't review it. However, it may also serve as a warning to those readers like me, who aren't comfortable with the racier novels to take heed while downloading books. As much as I love Amazon, I really wish that they were a bit better about stating each book's genre(s) to avoid such surprises.

Runaway Heart - Fun Read Friday

Runaway Heart by Claudy Conn Genres: Historical Romance, Romance

     Poor Chelsea had been orphaned twice. Left in her beloved uncle's care after losing both of her parents, it was an equally large blow to lose her uncle and for her guardianship to be passed to her vain aunt. Chelsea flees from school and finds that her godmother wishes to chaperone her debutante season and is quickly surrounded by interested eligible men. Chelsea, of course, falls for the man that isn't easily attained.

     The author is so faithful to her historical setting that it was quite easy for me to feel as though I was reading a classic novel written during the late 1800's until I ran across torrid love scenes that would never be found in Victorian novels. More that just romantic fluff in a historical setting there is also a bit of action and intrigue as well. Very entertaining and highly recommended, especially if historical romances are your cup of tea.

I give it 4 stars!

The Fortune Quilt - Fun Read Friday

The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich Genre: Romance, Humor

     This. Was. Hilarious! At one point I got the giggles so completely that my brother actually felt the need to check that I didn't accidentally take too much of my pain medication.

     While not necessarily a non-believer of psychics, Carly is wary of the many shamans who use hoaxes and tricks to bilk believers. When assigned to interview a woman who makes quilts that can predict the future, Carly thinks the woman is just using it as an angle to sell her product, until her own reading begins to come true.

Myths of the Modern Man - Fun Read Friday

Myths of the Modern Man by Jacqueline T. Lynch Genres: Science Fiction, History

     A strange genre combination as science fiction meets history. The earth is dying. John Moore is sent back in time to observe the rebellion of a Celtic tribe against the Romans. It is often stated that we can learn from history to refrain from continuing to make the same mistakes.

     While the telling of John's adventure in ancient Celtic times was riveting, I'm still not entirely clear as to what knowledge he was supposed to bring back with him, or how it would help the scientists save the earth from self destruction.

The Help - Fun Read Friday Review

The Help by Kathryn Stockett Genres: Fiction, Drama

     It is Mississippi in the early 1960's. Segregation, racism, and the KKK are a reality and in full force. One white woman sees the inhumanity in the segregation laws and wants to make a difference. She wants to right a wrong. With the help of one very brave black woman, they organize an expose in the form of a collection of stories that tell of a kind employer who treat "the help" with respect or help them in some way. Many are tell all stories that reveal how the maids are treated as sub-human. There are stories of heartbreak, of the white children that the maids raise and love as their own until the children grow up and become their parents - believing that people are less-than only because of skin color.

     While my situation was different of course, I can kind of relate to this concept. It wasn't until I was in my 20's and grieving the loss of my great-grandmother that I found out that she wasn't actually related to us. This information was only revealed because my mother was having problems settling the estate due to the lack of legal relationship. I had been very close to my great-grandmother and I was floored to find out that she had "only" been the housekeeper that had raised my grandmother after her own mother had passed away. My great-grandmother was the woman who watched me after school. Even though in her 80's, she took me in and dealt with my teenage attitude and grief when my father was too ill to listen to my brother and I constantly bickering. It was she who told me and comforted me when my dad passed away. It was my great-grandmother that I had gone to in high school when I ran away from home. While this new information rattled me, I realized that it didn't change the woman that she was, or my love for her. Her portrait, to this day, hangs on my living room wall next to my mother's.