Elephant Wisdom - A Review

Elephant Wisdom

by

M. Gail Grant

A Review

Remembrance of Him

  

 You are never alone,

 even in the absence of another soul.

 When stillness fills the air,

 and the deafening sounds of despair sing,

 remember inside of you,

 lives the Holy King.

As I learn to re-appreciate poetry, something four years of high school and five years of college stole from my soul fifty years ago, I have stumbled on another collection of free verse that has touched my heart.

Many of these pieces remind me that there is pain in loss - whether it be for a short while or for longer periods of time. The pain is real, but at the same time we are reminded that when one has left, they have also returned home.

If the reader is looking for a rhythm or a rhyme, these poems will (mostly) not provide those elements. But if the reader is looking for pieces that will touch the heart and help them find feelings they may have lost. this collection of poetry will do that. They will take the reader through their pain to the throne of God while preparing the reader for another day. For this, I give this 150-page book five stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the author for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

 

Sleep Deprived - A Review

 

Sleep Deprived

by

Therese Heckenkamp

A Review

This faith-based story sees the lives of three missing babies intersect to save a marriage and destroy the life of one young man. Two of the children have died, one has been kidnapped.

Mea has lost a child and seeks to help another – but something backfires. She is accused of kidnapping and is set to spend the rest of her life in prison. The love of her husband and God’s answered prayer begin to rebuild her faith and allow her to regain her life.

This short novella served as a reminder of the pain of loss and the presence of God’s grace through that pain. I give the book five-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.

#Follow Me for Murder - A Review

 

#Follow Me
for Murder

by

Sarah E. Burr

A Review

The author has created a modern cozy mystery that combines the tech of Dick Tracy and the fashion sense of Glamour Magazine as she begins a new series of books featuring blogger and PR consultant Cordelia (aka Coco) Cline.

Cordelia’s current clients are Sean and Olivia Chen, owners of the soon to open Once Used, Twice Buy antique store. One morning Coco walks in and finds Stacy Lockner, a young woman hired to help set up the store, lying on the store floor, dead. The police originally set out to prove that Sean and Olivia are responsible for her death. Coco makes it her job to find the real killer and to salvage the reputation of the soon to be opened store. Cordelia takes a liking to Stacy and doubles down to find her killer.

The result is a story with enough turns and suspects to hold the reader’s attention from beginning to end. Coco and her friend feed bits of evidence to the local police and the county crime lab - some evidence sends the cops chasing the wrong suspects, but the clues that are discovered will eventually disclose the person responsible for the crime. I found little wrong with this title and easily give it five 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.

Trust Me - A Review

 

Trust Me 

by

Kelly Irvin

A Review

Delaney Broward (aka Laney) had lost everyone. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was young. Her grandparents had died months apart while she was in college. Her brother, Corey, was murdered. And her best friend, Hunter Nash, the man she thought she was going to marry, was charged with the murder and was convicted of manslaughter 10 years earlier. And now he was out on good behavior and was hounding her a bit too much. It was not just her opinion - it was an opinion shared by the San Antonio TX Police Department and Laney’s friends.

The day Hunter Nash returned was also the day that Ellie Hill, Delaney’s best friend now, was killed in an horrific murder.

Suspect number 1 for Ellie’s murder was Hunter Nash - if he had any hopes of rewinning Delaney’s heart, he now had to prove that he was innocent of two murders. And that was something Delaney, the San Antonio TX PD, and Laney’s friends did not think possible.

The resulting story is a stomach-churning, edge-of-your-seat, thriller, that did not let this reader relax until the very last chapter. The story has the reader traveling throughout San Antonio, gathering clues, with and without the help of the police department. In the midst of this story we watch two young adults struggle with their faith. One’s faith grew in the most harrowing of places; the other lost their faith through a similar set of circumstances.

With the exception of the last chapter, the book was perfect. Most (all?) of the last chapter could have been omitted, allowing the reader to fill in the story’s final details. 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.

Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library - A Review

 

Long Overdue
at the
Lakeside Library

by

Holly Danvers

A Review

This fun cozy mystery is set in upstate Wisconsin along the shores of Pine Lake. Though the lake, the community, and the people, are fictional, many of us can identify with the environment which Rain Wilmot (known as Rainy to her friends) has chosen to call home. The author presents us with the second book centered around the privately owned public library which is beginning to be a year-round draw for the larger community. Though fictional, I wish I could visit.

Rainy’s best friend’s husband has been locked up for murder. It now becomes Rainy’s, Rainy’s best friend Julia, and Julia’s brother Jace, task to “figure out how to fix that.” To do that would put Rain, Julia, and other members of the Pine Lake community in danger.

I had one disappointment with the book - one about which I will keep my mouth shut. Having spent four years in Wisconsin, it was easy to picture the cold, snowy, icey, winter weather, in which the story takes place. I can easily place myself in Rainy’s place as she finds herself in the ditch along a dark, snow cover road. I have been there! The plot, the setting, and the characters, easily make this a 4-½ star book.
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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.

A Three Book Problem - A Review

 

A Three Book Problem

by

Vicki Delany

A Review

Vicki Delany is quickly becoming a favorite cozy mystery writer, both with her Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series and her Lighthouse Library series (written as Eva Gates). The Three Book Problem only adds to the collection.

Gemma Doyle and friends are chosen to cater the weekend Sherlockian retreat organized by David Masterson for his friends and acquaintances. It was a strange affair from the beginning. It became stranger when the host is shot with a dart and found to be nearly bankrupt. Luckily one of Gemma’s friends was New London MA lead police detective Ryan Ashburton. Gemma Doyle also had a knack for getting her nose into local murder cases. Together, the pair gather enough evidence to determine the guilty party and again bring justice to New London.

With the exception of spending too much time discussing the wardrobes of the various characters (especially in the first 20% of the book), the story was enjoyable and entertaining. The late Fall New England scenery in which the book is set is beautiful and inviting. The collection of characters range from obnoxious to inviting. I give the book 4-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.

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.