Fiction Addict

Genre: Historical, Romance

Publisher: Risen Books

Publication Date: May 2011

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Professor Cassie Larson’s life isn’t spectacular. It’s not glorious or amazing. It just is. She’s got a husband she depends on, students she mostly enjoys and there’s a pattern to her life. It all runs with simple expectation and understanding. Even if it’s not perfect or heart pounding, it’s still her life and she’s okay with it. Until the day she meets the man with the brooches. Then everything turns upside down. Literally.

Her husband tells her he’s leaving her. As she tries to absorb this devastating news, she ends up in the water with her brooch and in the arms of a 10^th century Viking named Alarik. Of course he can’t speak English and she understands barely enough to get by, so the initial meeting between the two doesn’t exactly create textbook teaching material.

Soon Cassie realizes that she’s not having a dream and that she’s not going to wake up from this. She’s really honest to goodness in the 10^th century and she’s experiencing history up close and personal.

As for Alarik, he wishes that he was in the middle of a dream too, but he’s not. He’s being blamed for a murder that he’s sure he didn’t commit. At least he’s mostly sure. See when he woke up, he couldn’t remember anything that happened and he knew that he was angry when he went to bed the night before. So is he guilty? Or no? Until he figures it all out, he sees escape as the best option. It will give his faithful friend Ragnar the opportunity to do some investigating and keep Alarik out of further trouble. That is until he meets Cassie. Their destinies become intertwined and neither of them is very happy about it.

I’m a sucker for time travel. It all started with my deep and abiding affection for Quantum Leap and it hasn’t stopped since. If a book has time travel in it, I’m on board. This was a fun romp through time that provided adventure, romance and a lot of fun. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre:  Romance

Publisher: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Melody Ballard

Rachel and Anthony live an ideal life. They live comfortably, have personal success (Rachel with her culinary expertise and Anthony with his art), and have three devoted sons.  Family members love and are committed to each other, and family ties become stronger with each passing year. Rachel’s dedication to her family defines who she is, and her support and guidance to her sons has also defined who they are.

Their story begins with the wedding of their son, Luke and their third daughter-in-law Charlotte as she becomes part of the family. Charlotte, like Rachel has lived a full life, and like Rachel, she has her own views of what a family should be.  Charlotte’s widowed mother is also an artist, but her art is much different from the art of Anthony.

As the ceremony begins Rachel remembers the wedding of Edward to Sigrid in Stockholm.  Sigrid, strikingly beautiful and blond has her own career with museums and galleries performing analysis on items in their collections. Rachel is out of her element with the strange food and customs of Sweden, and feels like an outsider at Edward and Sigrid’s wedding. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Steam Punk, YA

Publisher: Night Shade Books and Brilliance Audio

Publication Date: January 2011

Reviewed by P.J. Coldren

Agatha Clay lives in Beetleburg with her parents, Adam and Lilith.  She is a student at the Transylvania Polygnostic University, working as a minor lab assistant and getting very frustrated with her inability to make anything that works.  One day Baron Klaus Wulfenbach overthrows the University and the town.  The Baron has done this to most of Europa, maintaining some kind of peace.  He looks for Sparks, the brilliant and frequently mad inventors who have the capability to create all kinds of machines.  Most of them are not practical, but the Baron is far more interested in the minds of the Sparks than in what they create.  He is training his son Gilgamesh to rule his empire.

Agatha finds herself a prisoner on the Baron’s airship, Castle Wulfenbach.  She goes through a bit of culture shock, finds that she CAN make things that work, and ends up being Gilgamesh’s assistant.  There are romantic sparks between the two, although they both resist the inevitable.

This is obviously an alternate world universe, one in which steam, gears, and the like have become the mainstay of machines.  It’s as if the Industrial Revolution never made it to electricity or nuclear power.   The absent heroes are the Heterodyne Boys, adventurers and inventors who have been missing for a decade and a half.  Their exploits are the stuff of story and legend; non-Sparks pray they return to battle Baron Wulfenbach and the other Sparks.

This novel is based, as I understand it, on the graphic novels about the Girl Genius (Agatha Clay).  The novel is full of adventure, a bit of romance, and tons of mad science . . . And for a change, the Girl is the hero!  Some of the characters are larger than life, histrionic, a bit out there.  It works in the context of the story.

The book was read by Angela Dawe.  She did a fine job.  If there are more coming in this series, and one hopes there are, one also hopes that Angela Dawe gets to read them all.  There are numerous characters of all ages and backgrounds; Dawe is able to keep them all separate in the listener’s head.  She does this through accent, intonation, pitch, and various other means necessary to a good storyteller.

Warning: Minimal language issues, minor violence, some discussion of Agatha’s tendency (not on purpose) to appear in her undergarments.

Book purchased by reviewer.

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Severn House

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by P.J. Coldren

Did you grow up reading Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and Dorothy Sayers?   Did you love them, and wish there were more writers like that?  If you haven‘t read Jeanne M. Dams, in particular her Dorothy Martin series, you have a treat in store for you.  Her latest entry in the series, number 10, takes the traditions of Golden Age mystery and brings them up-to-date.  Dorothy Martin and her husband Alan Nesbitt are looking forward to seeing the Guy Fawkes’ fireworks from a converted thirteenth-century abbey.  Dorothy is an American who has made her retirement dream come true: she lives in England.

As one might expect, things do not go as planned.  Two of the houseguests are boorish, rude, and very inclined to drink.  Unfortunately they are related to the woman of the house, so can’t be sent away.  One of the guests is the former owner of the Abbey.  One is an American photographer, sent to do a coffee table book about Branston Abbey.  The rest of the guests are colorful, and the help are wonderfully reliable, having been connected to the Abbey for generations.  This could be an interesting mix for a weekend, but not for much longer.  Of course, the weekend is extended. Read the rest of this entry »

Listen in as Jake Chism chats with NY Times Bestselling Author Steve Berry about his new novel, The Jefferson Key.

More about Steve Berry:

Steve Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cotton Malone series featuring The Jefferson Key, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, and The Templar Legacy. He also has three stand-alone thrillers: The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room —- and two e-book original short stories, The Balkan Escape and The Devil’s Gold. He has 12 million books in print, which have been translated into 40 languages and sold in 51 countries. Steve’s road to publishing was long and arduous, spanning 12 years and 85 rejections over 5 separate manuscripts. He’s also an accomplished instructor, having taught writing to audiences across the globe. When Steve’s not writing, you can find him either on a beach, a golf course, or traveling — discovering more things lost — thinking of the next novel. He lives in the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida. Steve and his wife Elizabeth have also started a foundation, History Matters, dedicated to aiding the preservation of our heritage.

This interview can be downloaded from iTunes or streamed below:

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Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: May 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Nick Polchak is a forensic entomologist who understands one thing well … bugs. Everything else about life and people, not so much. And that is what has made Dr. Polchak such an interesting character in all of the novels in Tim Down’s, Bug Man series (Shoo Fly Pie, Chop Shop, First the Dead, Less Than Dead, and Ends of the Earth).

Author, Tim Downs left readers twisting in the wind at the conclusion of his last installment of his “Bug Man” series with Nick was facing the most terrifying crisis of his life. He had faced murderers and examined countless dead bodies but nothing had prepared him for that one. On the last page of Ends of the Earth, Nick asked someone to marry him. Unfortunately we didn’t know who. Nick of Time answers that question.

As we begin Nick of Time we now know Nick and Alena are preparing for their wedding. At least Alena is. Nick is still Nick. He is determined to attend a monthly meeting of experts who assist law enforcement in solving cold cases. Adding fuel to the fire of his determination is a message from an old friend that indicates there is a mystery to solve. So, amidst the protests of his wife-to-be he heads off with a promise to return in just a day. Their wedding, he reasons, isn’t until the weekend and he will be back in plenty of time. If you believe that you haven’t read the other Bug Man stories and you don’t know Nick Polchack. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Multnomah

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

If you haven’t already heard, Mark Mynheir author of The Watchman has written a new Ray Quinn Mystery Novel. And although this is an excellent follow-up to The Night Watchman, make no mistakes about it; The Corruptible truly stands fully on its own, as a first rate detective novel from a real detective.

In The Corruptible, we find Ray Quinn an ex-Orlando Police Department-homicide detective being hired by, Armon Mayer, a Germophobic and the wealthy head of an investment firm – to recover a 300-gig computer hard drive that contains sensitive information on the firm’s clients – a relatively simple case of property retrieval. But, when Ray Quinn starts his investigation, he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation, with too many suspects. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Paranormal, Mystery

Publisher: Signet and Brilliance Audio

Publication Date: February 2011

Reviewed by P.J. Coldren

Remy Chandler is a private eye in contemporary Boston.  He is hired by a woman to find her daughter, an autistic girl with an unusual power.  The woman is convinced that her husband took Zoë.  Remy Chandler is not the only person looking for this little girl.  A woman named Delilah believes that Zoë has the power to give Delilah the one thing in the world that Delilah wants the most.  Another group of people, followers of an ancient god, also wants Zoë.  She was born to be the new repository of the spirit of Dagon, until her parents backed out of the deal.  Dagon is not happy about this.

As one can tell from this brief intro, Remy Chandler does not live in the “real” Boston.  Remy Chandler is also Remiel, one of the host Seraphim.  He deals with cases involving issues of Heaven and Hell, Tartarus, minions of Satan, the Morning Star, and others of another world.  Delilah is THE Delilah, and Samson and his numerous offspring are pursuing her; Samson is determined to kill her.   Remy has to work hard to keep Remiel in check; releasing the power of the Heavens is not something he does lightly.  Remiel, on the other hand, would just as soon be free of the human nature that Remy imposes on him. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Realms

Publication Date: May 2011

Reviewed  by Tim George

Sam pressed his cheek against the rifle stock … Tommy was on his knees behind Eva, one arm around her shoulders, the other holding the pistol to her head … Any hint of a threat, and he might pull that trigger … Sam would only get one shot. It was his only hope …

Sam Travers is an ordinary guy desperately trying to preserve his sense of purpose in the months following an accident at work that has left him disabled. Still his life is good with a loving wife and young daughter who adores him like only a little girl can. But one morning, an unexplained gun shot that leaves no physical evidence sets into motion a series of events that puts Sam on a collision course with a darkness that has been brooding in the quiet rural hills for at least 150 years.

In typical Dellosso style we are plunged headlong into the life of a simple man facing extraordinary and impossible circumstances. Read the rest of this entry »

Jake Chism recently caught up with Marcher Lord Press novelists Mitchell Bonds, Kathy Tyers, and Jill Williamson to discuss their new releases.

This podcast can be downloaded via iTunes or streamed below:

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Genre: Young Adult / Children

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publication Date: May 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Excitement cannot begin to describe Rick Riordan’s newest powerhouse The Throne of Fire. Blazing with action, humor, surprises, and a very blatant theme — the newest book in The Kane Chronicles really sets a standard in YA fiction. Riordan brings back all the adventure from The Red Pyramid in his take on Egyptian mythology. And fans will not be disappointed.

Carter and Sadie Kane have fought gods, demons, and magicians from all over the world before — and now they have to do it again. Apophis — the evil Lord of Chaos is rising, and everyone is panicked: who in their right mind would ever be able to stand against such a force? Even just being near the prison of Apophis is enough to disintegrate a mortal. But the Kanes know that they have to do something — anything — to unite the House of Life and all its magicians in the coming battle. And the only way to do that is on a risky gamble: bring back the king of the gods: Ra. But wakening Ra might not be as easy as Carter and Sadie think — and there are rumors that have them both nervous: Ra left for a reason. And he might not want to come back. With the clock ticking down to doomsday, evil villains and insane gods out to kill them, and secrets and lies everywhere, how can the Kanes even expect to survive? Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: B & H Books

Publication Date: May 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

It’s true what they say about the unknown. It’s far more frightening to have no answer than to hear one you’d never wanted. In crisis situations you need a tangible enemy. Someone or something to fight. To bull’s eye with the arrows of your righteous indignation.

Janessa McNeil, Jannie to her friends, had a perfect life: married to a highly respected research physician, mother to a loving nine year old daughter, and living in such a protected community there was little need to set home alarms unless one left on vacation. But something has changed. Jannie, though seldom sick, has had the flu for three weeks and wonders aloud if she might have Lyme’s Disease. She only thinks to ask because her husband, Brock, is one of the most respected Lyme’s researchers in the country. Then comes a day that she falls in the kitchen and later receives a fateful phone call from a mad man; he has secretly infected her with an extremely virulent form of Lyme’s and she has 48 hours to change her husband’s position on the reality of chronic Lyme’s disease.

In Over the Edge, Brandliyn Collins brings us yet another installment of her Seatbelt Suspense with an intensely personal spin. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Ransom Note Press

Publication Date: March 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

Miss Scarlett with the revolver in the billiard room.

To my fellow Clue game lovers, who relish the opportunity at putting their sleuthing skills to work, I have just the book for you! Nine graduates of a detective-training agency receive a mysterious invitation to spend their class reunion in an isolated inn. When the body of their host is discovered, they realize a deadly weekend awaits them. As a ghost-like killer eliminates the guests one by one, the investigators must use their wits in an attempt to survive. Stranded and with the knowledge that the murderer is one of them, suspicion and fear run high. With secrets flowing thicker than blood, some to kill for, who will be the last one standing?

Eric Keith’s, Nine Man’s Murder is like playing Clue, but this time with the background story. The question is, can you figure out the mystery? Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Multnomah

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Renee Chaw (Guest Reviewer)

Just in time for baseball season Multnomah Books and Allison Pittman have hit it out of the park with another “baseball” romance, Lilies in Moonlight. Flirtatious Flapper and salesgirl, Lilly Margolis has met her match in staid and stuffy baseball player turned soldier turned businessman, Cullen Burnside. With a little assistance from Cullen’s sweet mother, Betty Ruth Lilly turns the Burnside’s routine and household on its head.

Eager to return to his life of solitude, Cullen knows that he has to make sure Lilly returns home to her mother in Pennsylvania before Lilly can cause anymore mischief and upheaval. The road trip that ensues is far from easy but Cullen, Lilly, and even their friends learn a lot about life, love and most importantly faith. Throw in a few pit stops at a camp and at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh for the World Series and you will laugh, cry and even shout in frustration. Will Lilly learn to forgive her mother? Will Cullen learn to let go of the past? Can both find happiness at the end of the road? Discover these answers and more in this journey from Florida to Pennsylvania to home in Lilies in Moonlight! Read the rest of this entry »

Lori Twichell and Jake Chism share the line with Jason Lethcoe, author of No Place Like Holmes.

Don’t miss our review of the book.

Jason Lethcoe has worked as an animator, director, and storyboard artist at several studios including Walt Disney Studios, Sony Feature Animation Warner Bros., and Dreamworks SKG. Amazing Adventures from Zoom’s Academy was his first foray into juvenile fiction, and was produced as the movie Zoom starring Tim Allen in 2006. (Zoom trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flrwVS3T-xg). His second series, the bestselling Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff, is currently in development as a feature film – and No Place Like Holmes, published by Tommy Nelson, is garnering Hollywood interest prior to the book’s release. See more about this author, award-winning animator, and family man at jasonlethcoe.com and join his Facebook page.

This interview can be downloaded via iTunes or streamed below:

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Genre: YA, Mystery

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Publication Dates: May 2011

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Griffin Sharpe isn’t quite sure what to think of his uncle. Never having met him before, he’s only heard a few things from his mother about what life was like growing up with her brother. So when she sends Griffin off to stay with him for the summer, he’s certain there will be lots of adventure and fun. And with his uncle’s very famous address of 221 Baker Street in London? Griffin’s absolutely certain that he knows precisely who his mysterious uncle is. After all, Griffin has an incredible eye for detail and a photographic memory. His mother and father don’t, so he must have gotten it somewhere in the family. A detective at 221 Baker Street? His uncle MUST be Sherlock Holmes!

Imagine his deep disappointment when he discovers that Mr. Holmes resides at 221 B Baker Street. His uncle is, instead, a beaten down, dirty, crude and rude man named Rupert Snodgrass. And Uncle Rupert is not happy at all about having a little boy he doesn’t know on his doorstep.

Instantly, the two of them get along like oil and water. Though Griffin does his best to do every single thing he can to keep his uncle happy, it doesn’t seem to matter. Griffin prays and seeks God’s will at every turn for how he can reach his uncle and at the same time, he tries to survive this trip to London without starving to death or getting himself in trouble. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: YA

Publisher: Poppy

Publication Dates: April 2011

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Louise Lambert is a teen with issues. Well, not really big issues. They’re your standard ordinary issues that most teenagers deal with on a regular basis. Things like wishing she looked different, loving fashion and some odd, albeit caring and considerate parents.

When Louise gets an invitation to an exclusive vintage clothing sale, she’s over the moon. Perhaps she can find a really fantastic stand out dress for the upcoming dance that she’s been stressed over. Upon arrival in the little shop, she does find the perfect dress – but it’s amazing how perfect the dress actually is. Vintage, and dating back to 1912, when Louise puts the dress on, she ends up in 1912. (I’m such a sucker for time travel books!) Not only is she in 1912, but everyone else sees her as a gorgeous 17 year old actress known all over the world. As much as she’d like to get back to her normal life, family and friends, being catered to and living the high society life inside a gorgeous teenager isn’t that bad. Or is it? Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Religious

Publisher: Howard Books

Publication Dates: May 2011

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

When a loved one passes, it’s always hard. Cleaning out their house is almost always difficult and pulling it off in one weekend might seem almost impossible. But three sisters who barely know each other and only get together when it’s absolutely expected of them? Yeah, that sounds like a fun weekend. Throw in an affair, an impending divorce and the fact that one of the sisters is secretly plotting suicide and you have a fun filled adventure packed weekend don’t you? Yeah, I know. That’s what I thought too.

Ginger, the eldest sister, has always been more mother to the other two sisters. She has never learned how to let go of the control and really love her sisters.  Penny, in the middle of the bunch, has always strived to find the man that would make her complete and perfect. Since this won’t ever happen, she’s been through several marriages and may be ending the current one. And last comes Rosie, the youngest daughter who is convinced that she’s not worth anything and that her death will be best for everyone all around.

I wasn’t sure what to think of this book when I got it. Reading heavy material about sisters and death and dysfunctional relationships was not high on my list. I’m an only child and trust me, even that came with its own kinds of dysfunction that weren’t anything like what these three sisters were experiencing. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre:  Literary, Suspense

Publisher: The Fieldnor Press

Publication Date: Nov 2010

Reviewed by Melody Ballard

The Other Side is not light reading.  E Thomas Finan’s stories are heavy and weighted.   Like binding chains, they resist every attempt the reader makes to claw out of the strangling moroseness that comprises each one.

In Motley Black you meet a young man running away from the pain of lost love.  His tortured thoughts consume him as he travels on a bus late at night. Through his eyes you see with undisguised disgust, the sight and sounds and smells of fellow travelers.  We accompany him throughout his journey to the unanticipated end as he (and you) are left without closure.

In An Aria of Windrows, you burrow into the mind of a man obsessed by a message from a stranger left on his answering machine. Where does reality end and madness begin?  You consider this as you spiral ever deeper into a rapid and claustrophobic bleakness. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Suspense, Drama, Supernatural

Publisher: Faith Words

Publication Date: May 2011

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Tyler Harrison is going to die on his 40^th birthday. Tyler knows because an angel named Matthew told him so.

With death imminent and uncertainty clouding his soul, Tyler sets out on a nine month journey towards inevitability and the unknown. How do you live your life when you know exactly when you are going to die? Do you change anything? Do you make amends? Do you bury your head beneath the covers of your unfulfilled life and pretend like it’s not going to happen? These are the questions that haunt Tyler, along with the hallucinations and visions that terrify him to no end.

A music producer in Chicago, Tyler has made quite a name for himself and is on the verge of making a big break with an up and coming star. In the past he’s always been able to lose himself in the music, letting his work consume his life. But with Matthew’s big birthday announcement, nothing in Tyler’s life makes sense anymore and not even his love for music satisfies. All the things he’d like to forget, things like his divorce and his rocky relationship with his evangelist father,  all of those things are staring him in the face and are demanding attention. As Tyler’s birthday draws near he is unknowingly heading towards a collision with destiny and the lack of faith that has plagued his life.

40 is Travis Thrasher’s most personal novel to date and it’s certainly no accident that this novel is being released just a couple of weeks after the author’s 40^th birthday.  This is a very emotional and brooding story filled with Tyler’s inward reflections and struggles over his past. Thrasher’s own love for music shows through in not only the setting, but in the way the plot unfolds like a mind bending concert dominated by somber ballads interspersed with the occasional bones igniting anthem.

The “detail” police will be glad to know that Thrasher doesn’t sell us short with the portrayal of a music producer’s profession. Tyler is wholly believable as both a music producer and aficionado. I’m almost convinced Thrasher has actually spent some time in the studio, possibly chewing the fat with the likes of Brian Eno as he puts forth a stellar effort here to “get it right”.

As I was reading 40, I knew there was a twist coming, but when I finally arrived I was floored by both the masterful execution leading up to it and the soul stirring implication left upon the reader. The first person narration was spot on, the suspense and drama played out just right throughout, but this twist elevates the story in such a profound way. This display of storytelling prowess is why I continue to come back to Thrasher’s writing and why I’m continually dismayed that he isn’t as widely recognized as he deserves.

40 is personal not only for Travis Thrasher, but also for readers who are willing to ask the hard questions about life, faith, and the journey that weaves them together. Wow….

Don’t miss our 40 Questions with Travis Thrasher podcast series.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Today is the day!! Travis Thrasher’s new novel, 40, is available everywhere and you don’t want to miss it! To celebrate we are concluding our 40 Questions with Travis Thrasher podcast series and we’re talking all about the new book. Listen in to find out how the story came about, whether or not Travis believes in guardian angels, and how he would spend his last day if he knew he would die tomorrow.

Read our review of 40 here.

Travis Thrasher is the author of over a dozen critically acclaimed novels diverse in tone and style. He and his wife, Sharon, live with their daughters in Chicago.

This interview can be downloaded via iTunes or streamed below:

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Genre: Drama

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: July 2010

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Susan Fales-Hill is an award winning television writer and producer who has worked on shows ranging from The Cosby Show to Suddenly Susan.  She is the author of the critically acclaimed Always Wear Joy.  And now, Susan Fales-Hill has written a fun, New York story that has all the elements a good novel should have, love, lies, lust, betrayal and perhaps hope – readers won’t want to put it down, not until the very end!  One Flight Up is a dramatic-comedic romp through the boardrooms, and bedrooms of Manhattan and Paris.

Atlanta, New Jersey and New York housewives meet the wives in, One Flight Up. India, Abby, Esme, and Monique this intelligent spirited foursome have been friends since their days at Manhattan’s Sibley School for Girls.  All grown up now—they seem to be living ideal lives, until the happily ever after fades and they find themselves at the crossroads of their lives, each with her own set of troubles, and suddenly craving more.

It’s not a throw your head back and laugh until you get a cramp in your side, nor is it a grab the box of tissues and boo-hoo type of story – what it is, is a refreshing diversity of characters who at first glance appear to be nice, wholesome and a lot of fun to be around, but perception and truth are miles apart when it comes to this foursome – lying, deceitful adulteress women of means, is a more accurate description.   The author provides a lesson in high-end fashion as she continuously name drops throughout the novel: Chanel clothing, Frette sheets, Hermès Birkin and Kelly bags, Cariter watches, Verdura Maltese Cross bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels  – as well as taking the reader on a very descriptive tour of  Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore an exclusive fashion street in Paris. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Children

Publisher: Little, Brown

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

With her stuffed toy chimp, young Jane explores the wonders of the natural world, slyly observing chickens and climbing trees and dreaming of helping animals. Me … Jane by Patrick McDonnell (creator of the comic strip, MUTTS) tells the story of the little girl who grows up to be primatologist and environmentalist Jane Goodall.

India ink and watercolor pictures gently illustrate the story; a form of printmaking lends a serious touch opposite the pages of lovable illustrations. A brief bio of Jane Goodall and a personal message from Jane, herself, close the book.

A quiet sincerity permeates the book, perhaps an effect of the water colors and outdoor settings. Surprisingly, the author’s comic strip technique works. Here it comes across as childlike and natural. Dreamlike softness reflects the lofty nature of Jane’s dreams. And, just to show those dreams can become reality, an actual photo of Jane working in Africa ends the tale.

Animal lovers will identify with this endearing book and may even be inspired by it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Children

Publisher: Little, Brown

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Young readers are in for a treat … the first Arthur book in nearly a decade!

D.W. is concerned. Her brother Arthur has been sneaking around the house, acting strangely and mumbling about a Big Green Machine residing at school. Then Arthur turns up with green hands and D.W. becomes convinced. The Big Green Machine turns people green—and she’s next!

The point-of-view shift from Arthur to D.W. in the middle of the book feels a bit odd, but other than this, Arthur Turns Green by Marc Brown is a playful read and an excellent way to teach children about environmental responsibility. Readers will take away simple tips for helping their planet. Like all the Arthur books, the illustrations welcome children with a friendly vibe and bright colors.

Appropriately, Little, Brown chose to print this book on recycled paper with soy inks. A cheerful addition to a cherished series.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Historical, Romance

Publisher: Center Street

Publication Dates: March 2011

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Sheila McGee has never known anything outside her small Irish village. Abandoned by her father at a young age and almost always ignored by her mother, she’s never understood anything of joy, happiness or peace. In her mind, those things do not happen in her village.  She has no hope at any of these things unless she leaves town. So when the linen mill where she works holds a contest to be crowned The Linen Queen, she hopes, prays and begs for the chance to participate. With a huge cash prize, she’s convinced that will be what gets her out of her village.

When, through a series of misunderstandings and ‘office’ politics, she finally does get crowned The Linen Queen, she’s ready to blow town. She has no idea that the world outside of her village has exploded into World War II and that even her gorgeous looks and a purse full of money won’t help her get out. So after a failed attempt at leaving, she decides to bide her time, hold on to her cash, and find a man who can get her out.

There’s her best friend Gavin, but she’s never felt that way about him. And Gavin loves their small village. He would never help her leave. When an entire battery of American soldiers comes to town to be housed while they stage operations against the Germans, Sheila sees her chance. She’s going to find a man that she can love who will get her out and then she’ll leave him and go off on her own. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

To all Cahills:

Warning! This review is for your eyes only. If you fear Vespers are tracking you, immediately shut off your laptop, mobile, or other wireless device. Once you’ve gone a safe distance be sure to delete your browsing history. The Vespers are everywhere, and they’re now beginning to make their final moves. And I don’t think I need to warn you just what is at stake if the Vesper family gets their hands on all 39 Clues and Gideon Cahill’s mysterious ring. The world is in your hands, Cahill agent.

Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson team up to bring the latest installment in The 39 Clues saga with book eleven: Vespers Rising. Meant to be a transition between the first ten books and the upcoming series, Cahills Vs. Vespers, this volume offers four stories by the authors. There are no chapters exactly, but instead long “short stories” about four different Cahill family members. Newcomers to the series should really go back to book one, The Maze of Bones, instead of trying to tackle the subtle references and mysteries that would not make much sense otherwise. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Romance, Suspense

Publisher: Five Star Expression

Publication Date: October 2010

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

Tragedy pushed Detective Michael Carven into early retirement. Fleeing the pain and memories, he built a thriving horse ranch — a place to lick his wounds away from the rest of the world. Three years later, a serial killer is on the loose and the police are stumped. Leaving no evidence or clues behind, the killer is like a ghost. Chief Dan Walker, Michael’s former partner, asks him to return and help the department solve the case. Michael agrees, but needs someone to temporarily replace him at the ranch. When Michael meets his new foreman, Jess Stanson, the last thing expected was for “him” to actually be a beautiful and feisty young woman. Michael is determined to fix the mix-up and send her packing right back to where she came from.

Jessica Stanson refuses to be run off just because she’s a woman. She can do her job just as well, if not better, than any man. Overcoming their initial bumpy start, Jessica discovers a complex man hiding beneath his seemingly tough exterior. As she comes to understand this loyal and hardworking man, she finds herself falling for him, but Michael’s past prevents him from lowering his guard around anyone, especially her. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Fantasy, Allegory

Publisher: Multnomah Books

Publication Date: February 2011

Reviewed by Kaci Hill

The Chasm takes place during a sliver of time during the events of Alcorn’s book Edge of Eternity. Like the previous book, it follows Nick Seagrave and is an allegory in which Nick appears in another world. It’s a novella, really, much shorter than Edge of Eternity or any of Alcorn’s other fiction titles. It’s a simple, straightforward story about one man’s inability to cross the great chasm on his own, and all the sins and shortcomings that render him unable to do so, and the only means by which he’s ever getting across: the blood of the Woodsman.

For me it was timely, I suppose, dealing with indecision, insecurity, unwillingness to confront your own sins. With the help of a murky guide named Joshua, Nick passes through something akin to Dante’s Inferno, and instead of Purgatorio on the other side, he finds himself completely lost, and the man he thought his friend instead a foe bent on his destruction. But he’s rescued. Then he participates in his redeemer’s murder.

The story’s very classic, and it’s not attempting to hide its symbolic nature. It felt very much written to a readership of believers who’ve lost their way, forgotten they too were once stranded on the edge of a bottomless cliff that led straight to the pit of Hell, with the City of Light tantalizingly in sight but hopelessly beyond reach: in want of life and light and the city of the Great King, in desperate need of the princely Woodsman who commands armies and worlds and men, in great need of redemption from certain death and forgiveness of sin and treason.

It isn’t a new story, but it’s an eternal one, and for those of us who know what the red road means and forever remember the torn and broken body of the Woodsman hung and cursed on a tree, it’s a stark memorial to who we were and who we are, and why. Alcorn’s style follows that of Edge of Eternity and Safely Home, my favorite of his novels.  It’s worth the read, especially this time of year where we’re apt to remember our own moment at the chasm.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Publisher: Living Ink Books

Publication Date: July 2010

Reviewed by Kaci Hill

Fifteen years have passed since the events of The Bones of Makaidos (book four of the Oracles of Fire series), where our four heroes, Billy, Bonnie, Walter, and Ashley entered adulthood and a period of peace. Now, Mr. Davis brings us the beginnings of a new series, Children of the Bard. Book one, Song of the Ovulum, opens up with Bonnie, Ashley, and Billy in prison, dying dragons, and a pair of siblings named Joran and Selah.

There’s two timelines to follow for a good portion of the book:  Joran and Selah, whose story begins the day before Noah’s Flood, and the 2020s A.D. Chapter one begins with Joran and Selah, who have a gift. They fight demons with a lyre and two sonic rods and use song to capture and destroy them. They’re charged with the task of protecting the ark, but they will not themselves be on the ark. But through a series of events, they are themselves preserved another way. . . for centuries. In the present, Bonnie sees their story unfold while she’s unconscious, and events finally bring the siblings into the present.  Meanwhile, Walter and a pair of teenagers, a boy and girl, carry the action.

I admittedly wasn’t sure, initially, what I thought about a third series. The story felt complete on its own. But Mr. Davis didn’t just drag out a complete story; he started afresh with the twin children of legacy and five-thousand year-old teenagers from Genesis six. Most of Joran and Selah’s arc is from Joran’s perspective, and he’s very well-developed and carries his end of the plot well. He’s hurting and angry, but beneath all that he’s a good kid who matures as the story progresses. His arc is one of redemption, a theme Davis develops beautifully. Read the rest of this entry »