Proposing Mischief - A Review

 

Proposing Mischief

by

Regina Jennings

A Review

Offered as a romantic thriller, the publisher forgot to mention this was more romance than thriller. Because of this, this book is not one I would usually pick up and read. On the other hand, it was a light-hearted trip through late-1800s, early-1900s, Joplin MO, that did hit my interest as an historical, faith-based novel.

Beneath the city of Joplin sits a crystal filled cave, now flooded, but at the turn of the century it became a major tourist attraction - inviting both the wealthy and the lowly population from far and wide. This fictional novel creates a story around its original discovery and development into a successful business venture. While the characters and their actions (with a few minor exceptions) are fictitious, the places and community are very real. It leaves the reader wishing he could still visit the crystal cave sitting beneath the city of Joplin.

The book could easily be subtitled “A Marriage of Convenience” as both Maisie Kentworth and Boone Bragg marry to avoid the suitors and connivors who are trying to woo them into unwanted marriages. The last chapter or two leads toward a possible violent confrontation between the various families. The result is a piece of humorous, romantic, fiction that was more satisfying than this reader was expecting as he moved through the story. I give the book 4-½ stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Deadly Encounter - A Review

Deadly Encounter

by

DiAnn Mills

A Review

There are a number of things that draw me into a fiction book.  A number of them are obvious: the quality of writing, the realism of the characters, the well designed setting of the story. One of the less obvious characteristics of a fictional story that I appreciate is its use of historical or real life settings that I call for me to search even deeper into the history or setting using Google or other internet resources.

Deadly Encounter was such a book.  My attention was drawn to a Google search before I finished page 1 of the book: “Who or what are the Houston Airport Rangers?” The book did answer the question a few pages in, but I found myself in Google within minutes of starting the book.  Sadly, Google provided little more details than the book - but enough to get me further into the book while I waited for the author to offer more own description.

The book dealt with themes that have attracted me in the past - Addiction/dysfunctional families, terrorism, and romance (but not too much). Mixing these themes with an underlying Christian faith, and we have a story that is both exciting and satisfying. We see individual’s faith being challenged and growing. We see faith being lived out. We also see the various conflicts that must be faced by modern law enforcement as they face the 21st century culture found in the USA.

Looking for a book with a positive Christian focus, with the right blend of suspense, danger, and romance? Deadly Encounter may be that book.   

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This review is based on a free copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Whispers in the Reading Room - A Review

Whispers in the
Reading Room

by

Shelley Bray

A Review

I don’t think I have ever read a book that left me with such mixed emotions. The author presents a beautiful picture of how God can take broken lives from a variety of backgrounds and transform them into something of value and worth. At the same time, the author reminds us that we cannot judge a book by its cover or a man by his coat.

The story takes place in the weeks and months following the closing of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Lydia has the responsibility of running a local “Reading Room” in the Chicago community. Thus begins this mystery. I would call this a “mystery embedded in a romance” (which I find a bit uncomfortable reading), rather than a “romance embedded in a mystery” (which is more to my liking). But the four main characters have all strayed from their faith - when fate (i.e. God) brings them together.

Though Sebastian Marks is a man of mystery, the true mystery does not begin until the 50% point (using Kindle’s measurement) of the book. The death of Lydia’s ex-fiance will force each member of their small group to rethink friendships, beliefs, and behaviors. And because of this, the book is much more about relationships than about the mystery.

The book is well-written, by a skilled writer. Her ability to weave the history of the era (and forcing this reader to search Google to discover more) is always a sign of a good book. Though the author seems to confuse the three fires that destroyed the remains of the World’s Fair site over a year’s time into a single event, the story was alive and real.

Bottom line - I enjoyed the book. I wish there had been less romance, but then i am male and thrive more on the excitement than on the romance. Would I recommend the book? Yes - for everyone, but for some more than others. If you like a mix of history, mystery, and romance, you will enjoy “Whispers in the Reading Room.”

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

The Fruitcake Murders - A Reviews

The Fruitcake Murders

by

Ace Collins

A Review

The first murder occurred in December 1926 - and they convicted and executed the man caught with the murder weapon in his hand.

But then the murders started again in December 1946.  They were connected - the victims had been drugged and then clobbered with a heavy, full fruitcake can. But there were differences - they came from different cultural groups: the district attorney, the homeless, a hooker. And it would take a newspaper reporter, a police detective, and a private eye to collect the pieces of the puzzle that would bring all the pieces together into a complete picture that gave meaning to the deaths that spanned two decades.

The book brings together the right amount of mystery, history, romance, and a bit of faith, to make an interesting story that had to be read quickly to maximize its enjoyment. I wanted to pick the book up every free moment I had - I had to finish it.

For the reader looking for an early winter read, The Fruitcake Murders might just fill the need.  

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Deadlock - A Review

Deadlock

by

DiAnn Mills

A Review

DiAnn Mills is a good author - I have enjoyed her earlier books. However, though definitely Christian, the current book seems more like a Harlequin Romance than an FBI thriller. FBI Special Agent Bethany Sanchez and her new partner, FBI Special Agent Thatcher Graves, would need to work together to find the Scorpion Murderer and those accomplices that made his crimes so brutal.  The mystery, thriller was very much there and held my interest - especially as it moved further into the book.

The book did seem, as I said earlier, more like a Harlequin Romance, than the usual FBI thriller I had come to expect from the author. For example, in the first chapter alone, we find the following:

On this gray morning, she was beginning a violent crime assignment and would meet her new partner, Special Agent Thatcher Graves, the man who’d sent her brother to jail. …

Beyond there she’d find Special Agent Thatcher Graves. Her gaze pulled ahead. She wanted the partnership to work so badly that her blood pressure flared at the thought of it. She moved through the room to the kitchen. Thatcher bent behind the crime scene tape, where the body had been found. He glanced up, his earth-colored eyes stormy.

Neither the mystery nor the romance slows down for the remainder of the book. I recognize that many readers will want this somewhat fairytale style of romance, but this pastor felt that the picture painted by the author in this book was an unrealistic and unhealthy picture of a growing relationship between two believers. The book was not written to provide advice to the lovelorn, but it sets an unhelpful example for believers young in their faith.

Thus, the mystery was enjoyed, the romance less so. If the reader can set aside the fairy tale romance as a fairy tale, he or she might just enjoy this FBI thriller.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

A Promise to Protect

by

Patricia Bradley

A Review

A rocky ride as a murderer roams the countryside for Leigh - who is holding a secret that she is unwilling to share with those who could help her the most. With the murderer and the secret hanging over her, she is sure the world as she knows it is coming to an end.  Leigh would have to risk it all to find out how much change was going to take place.

The people seemed real, the story believable, and the mystery is complex enough to hold the readers attention for several hours as Sheriff Tom Logan, his deputies, and other law enforcement personnel seek to identify the person or people behind the rash of crimes that have hit Bradford County.

As the story progresses it makes clear that God does change people - people with deep hurts and scars.  A lesson we all must learn.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Double Cross - A Review

Double Cross

by

DiAnn Mills

A Review

Double Cross is the second book in a series based on the staff of the FBI stationed in Houston, TX.  There is  little to connect the two books other than that minor theme - different characters, different plots, different lessons.

The current book left this reader a bit frustrated.  He generally does not mind a good mystery with a hint of romance, but this book seemed to reverse that relationship, in that it appeared to be a romance with a thread of mystery running throughout the book.  The mystery was well-developed with enough turns and triggers to make the book of interest - but there were few points where romance did not distract from that story.  

The story focused on the teamwork between an experienced FBI agent (Laurel Evertson) and a Houston Police Officer (Daniel Hilton).  At first their work is strictly  professional, but each must explore the possibility that something more is drawing them together.  And, even as the case comes to a close, it is not clear how their relationship can grow - perhaps in six months.

A couple of questions might help another reader know whether this book is for them:

1. Would you recommend this book to a  friend?  If that friend enjoyed romance novels.
2. Would you recommend  this author?  Yes, since I have enjoyed other books by the same author.
3. Would you purchase this book for yourself?  Probably not - it focused too much on the romance between two major characters to make it a favorite book of mine.
4. Will you be reading another book from this author?  Absolutely!

And I hope others will as well.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Bridges Burned - A Review

Bridges Burned

by

Annette Dashofy

A Review

Book #3 in the Zoe Chambers mystery series comes out a winner.  Zoe, a county EMT and the towns’ Deputy Coroner, must decide who to trust and who to distrust.  She also must decide who to love and who to walk away from.  Neither would be easy choices.

I woke up late last night, could not go back to sleep, and chose to relax by finishing the last 15% of the book.  The climax, included in that 15%, was as intense and satisfying as they come.  

The usual characters are present: Zoe Chambers, Pete Adams (the police chief), Mr. and Mrs. Kroll (Zoe’s landlords), Sylvia (Chief Adams’ former Administrative Assistant), and Nancy (Sylvia’s replacement).  Other characters round out the ensemble that create add to this well-written story.  The southwest Pennsylvania home, both for the author and the book, provide a wonderful setting for this story.  The rural/suburban area near Pittsburgh provide a beautiful and believable setting for the story.  

Though the story does reach a milestone of sorts, it is this reviewer’s hope that the stories are not ending.  Monongahela County has more stories to tell - and it is my hope that Annette Dashofy is able to tell them.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Lowcountry Boneyard - A Review

Lowcountry Boneyard

by

Susan M. Boyer

A Review

An interesting take on the cozy mystery genre.  Liz Talbot, a licensed Private Investigator, is asked to find Kent, the daughter of well-off Colton and Virginia Heyward. The police were convinced that she had chosen to leave home for personal reasons.  However, not having provided any clues prior to or following her departure, that scenario was not a done deal.  

Liz has lots of help - Kent’s father and mother, her grandmother, her fiance, her roommate from college all have thoughts - nobody seems to know the truth.  The most interesting source of help comes from Colleen, a guardian spirit.  There is a clear distinction between ghosts and guardian spirits.  

“The distinction, according to Colleen, was that guardian spirits had passed to the next world and been sent back with work to do.  Ghosts were the lingering spirits of the dead who had yet to cross over to the next life.”  

I felt like I was reading the memoirs of the 2005-2010 TV drama, Ghost Whisperer.”  Colleen adds little to the story itself, though she occasionally steps into the open to help Liz with some brainstorming or to serendipitously keep her or her family from finding themselves in serious danger.

Though this is the third book in what is (currently) scheduled to be a four-book set, the lack of having read the previous two novels did not seem to distract from my enjoyment of this book.  I would not recommend this book to the committed Christian, but if one is willing to set aside a small bit of reality, the reader might find enjoyment in this book as a late night read around the fireplace.  After all, Colleen is not a scary ghost, but she is a ghost.  

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

With Vics You Get Eggroll - A Review

With Vics You Get Eggroll

by

Diane Vallere

A Review

A cozy mystery starring Madison Night, Lt. Tex Allen (of the Lakewood Police Department), and handyman Hudson James.  I found the mystery well-written as out of town women are being kidnapped and killed - but the connection to Mad to Mod, Madison Night’s remodelling store, seemed less direct than in previous stories.  

Madison, as in her previous books, is still attracted to the two men that seem to be around much of the time.  Lt. Allen is a suspect in the current case and Hudson James has returned from an extended vacation - Madison will need to make some decisions soon as to which relationship she will develop, if she can keep herself committed and alive long enough to develop any relationships at all.  The romance is more closely tied to the level of the Hallmark Channel Movies than to Lifetime Movies - but the reader will need a soft enough heart to appreciate that romance if the book is going to remain of interest.

It is unclear, to this reader, whether the series is coming to a close of whether more books are to follow in the life of this amateur sleuth.  I, for one, hope that there will be more.  It would feel like saying goodbye to a favorite television series if the author chooses to end our look at the life Madison Night with this book - it always ends too soon.  

For the reader looking for a cozy mystery for two or three spring evenings, this book may be the perfect fit.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.