I am no longer using this blog.  Please see my new reading blog at:

http://cathysreadingblog.liquibyte.com/

Many thanks to my husband for giving me a great looking new blog!  :)

April 2013

Cracks in the Sidewalk by Bette Lee Crosby

Bette Lee Crosby writes so beautifully that you are drawn in from the first paragraph.   I wish to thank Bette Lee Crosby for gifting me with a copy of “Cracks In The Sidewalk”.

Claire and Charlie McDermott lost their grandchildren when their daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Elizabeth’s husband, Jeffrey, denies his wife and in-laws access to the children until they hire a lawyer and sue for custody. The judge grants Elizabeth visitation, but because of her failing health, leave the children in the custody of their father.

After Elizabeth dies, Jeffrey disappears with the children, and although the McDermott’s hire a private investigator and Charlie goes looking for Jeffrey and the children, their whereabouts remains unknown. Claire continues to buy birthday cards and Christmas cards and tucks money into them, keeping them as well as the gifts she purchases, over the years. 

Twenty years later Claire receives a letter that brings back the memories of her daughter and the grandchildren she hasn’t seen in all this time.  She anxiously prepares for their arrival pulling from the closet the boxes with the names of her 3 beloved grandchildren.  

What happens next is what makes this such a beautiful story as 4 people discover family, memories and love.
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 Calico Joe by John Grisham

Calico Joe is such a good story.  The basis is Major League Baseball and how an ego driven pitcher with anger issues permanently disables a young and upcoming ball player on an opposing team.

Anyone that enjoys a well written story as well as baseball will enjoy reading this book.
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Alaska Virgin Air by Izzy Ballard

I gave this 3 stars as I did laugh out loud about that many times.  The story would be more enjoyable if it had not been so disjointed.  Some of the characters were extremely immature. I also feel all the references to Sicilian's Rules was annoying and ridiculous.


Though the above comments seem extremely negative, don't take it that way.  These are just comments that I feel made the story a 3 star rather then a 5 star read.


The storyline, if the author had focused more on Abbey and the issues with the airline, instead of going off into multiple directions would make this story more interesting.  I did finish the book as I was curious to see where the author was going with the story.  


If a lot of the nonsense had been left out of the story, the book would be about 300 pages and a much better read.
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Elvis Has Not Left the Building 

(Elvis Mystery #1) by J.R. Rain

I thank the author, J.R. Rain, for making this book available as a free download on Amazon.com.

This is such a good read.  I imagine if Elvis was alive he would be exactly as portrayed in this story.

The ending was a wonderful tough.
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 Bliss (The Bliss Bakery #1) by Kathryn Littlewood

This is such a good read.  Could not put the book down.  It was cute, funny, and well written.  I look forward to reading more of this authors work. 
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 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I finally got a chance to read this book.  This is such a good read.  If you haven't read this book yet, please add it to your "TBR" list.

I look forward to seeing the movie.  Hopefully, it stays true to the story.
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 Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane #1)

by Kristin Hannah

 Another great read from Kristin Hannah. 

This story centers around 2 lifelong best friends.  They meet at the age of thirteen when Tully moves into the house across the street from Kate.  Together they share dreams, desires and make plans to take the world by storm and become famous reporters.

Kate slowly realizes that she really does not want to become a famous reporter and tries on several occasions to let Tully and family members know what she really wants to do.

After graduation Tully goes on to work at a TV station in Seattle and brings Kate in to work as an office person.  Tully works hard to get where she wants to go while Kate falls in love with Johnny, the Station Director.

Tully ends up leaving the station and moving to NY leaving Kate and several broken hearts behind.  Tully becomes rich and famous as a reporter.

Kate marries Johnny and spends her days as a wife and stay-at-home mom.  Years go by and Tully becomes even more rich and famous.  Kate and Tully have a falling out over her daughter and stop speaking to each other.

Kate receives devastating news and reaches out to Tully.  From here the story becomes both sad and joyful.

This is one of those stories that stays with you for several days after you finish reading it.  My only recommendation is start reading this on a Friday night if you work, this book is not easy to put down once you start reading.
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 Progressive Dinner Deadly (A Myrtle Clover Mystery #3)  by Elizabeth Spann Craig

I just loved this mystery! Such an interesting read with fun and quirky characters.

The main character is an elderly retired school teacher turned super sleuth.  At a Progressive Dinner with her fellow Book Club members Myrtle finds a dead body and the sleuthing begins.  Her son, the sheriff, is beside himself worrying about his elderly mother and her inquisitive ways.

I will be looking for more in this series.
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 The Best Man (Paperback) by Kristan Higgins

Kristin Higgins you have done it again!  I enjoyed reading this story from the opening paragraph and was interested and involved to the last page.

The story centers around Faith Holland who returns to her hometown after several years away.  Faith was in love and engaged to her high school sweetheart.  The relationship terminates at the alter when the love of her life announces to everyone that he is gay and can't marry her after all.

Faith pretty much runs away to lick her wounds.  She returns home to rehabilitate an old barn on the family property to use for special occasions, weddings, parties etc.

You are introduced to her family members, Jeremy her ex-fiance, Levi and other friends and acquaintances.  Pru the older sister is a riot.  Her best friend Colleen is a nut but funny as heck. 

This is such a fun read and I recommend to anyone who enjoys a good "Chick Lit" read.
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Weekend Guest (ebook) by Jack Erickson 

This is a very short, short story.  The story is well written and very informative even though it is a short story.


I enjoyed reading this short story, just wish it would have been a little longer to discover what happened to the "Guest". 
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 Terri (The Women of Valley View #2) 

 by Sharon Srock

Terri Hays is a young Christian woman looking for marriage and children.  At twenty-nine she is still single.  Terri has created a good life for herself.  She is owner/operator of a child care center next door to her home with plans for expanding.

Terri while watching a special on the foster care system prays for guidance and feels a strong compulsion to become a foster parent.

Steve Anderson, a successful author, has a good friendship with Terri.  Terri thought he was "The One".  She even has a wedding dress in anticipation of his proposal.  Then something Steve says leads her to believe he has no desire to have more children as he already has 2 teens from a failed marriage.

Sean and Ellie a struggling young couple whose daughter, Kelsey, is placed in foster care.  Terri is accepted into the foster care system and looks forward to having children of her own to love.  Three year old Kelsey is placed in the loving arms of Terri through the foster care system.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.  If you like romance, with an unexpected turn of evens,  about God-centered relationships, then you will love this story.

I received a complimentary copy for my honest review from www.bookfun.org.
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 What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby

What Matters Most is definitely a "Good Read".  The main character, Louise, is hilarious.  Louise tries to manipulate things when her husband, Clay, decides to retire from the bank after inheriting his uncle's Florida property.  Clay wants to sell their home in NJ and move to FL so he can have the life his Uncle did.

Louise does not want to leave her home, her circle of friends, or her family.  Louise at the suggestion of her friend Billie hires Henry Hornock as their realtor.  Henry has failed at every endeavor so far and Louise feels confident that he will fail at selling her home.  Unfortunately, within a short period of time Henry shows up with a young family and the house sells immediately.  From this point the story is a funny adventure and a must read.

This is such a fun story to read.  I had a hard time putting it down.  I actually found myself laughing out loud a lot while reading this story.

 

March 2013

 When the Heart Heals (Sisters at Heart #2) by Ann Shorey


This is such a good story! "When The Heart Heals" by Ann Shorey is the first book I have read written by this author.

The story centers around Rosemary a single woman in her late 20's.  She is a strong and independent woman in a time when woman were just thought of as cooks, mothers and housekeepers.  She convinces a local doctor to hire her as his office nurse.

Rosemary having spent her childhood by her mother's side learning about herbs and their medicinal purposes is using this knowledge to help the townspeople heal minor wounds and illnesses.  This activity brings her problems when she starts finding threatening notes and damage done to her greenhouse and gardens.

The author has an exceptional way of combining history, medicine, small town life, faith and love into an engaging and interesting story.

I will be adding the other books in this series to my reading list in the future.

I was provided a copy of "When The Heart Heals" by Baker Publishing Group for my honest review.
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Devotion by Marianne Evans

This is the first book I have read by Marianne Evans and it was and "Exceptional Read"!


The story centers around a Christian couple and their journey to healing and restoration the way God wants us to. The author has an amazing way of pulling you into the lives of the characters so you feel all the emotions they are dealing with. As I read this story all I could hope and pray is to read that would be able to forgive each other and heal their marriage. Infidelity is a devastating sin, but I believe couples can heal from it and have a stronger, better and happier God centered marriage.


I received a courtesy copy of this book from TBCN for my honest review.
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Never Buried (Leigh Koslow Mystery #1) by Edie Claire

This is a very good and fun read.  If you enjoy reading mysteries then you need to pick up a copy of this book.


The story opens with a corpse left in a Hammock.  The story centers around 2 cousins who grew up together and are best friends.  These 2 ladies decide to play amature detective and try to figure out why a corpse has a "get out of my house" message on it.   


I will certainly add this author to my list of favorite authors.
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Village Books by Craig McLay

 Many thanks to the author, Craig McLay, for making Village Books available for download on Amazon.com.


This is a surprisingly good read.  The story did not grab my attention like other books have, though I was kept interested to the very last page.  The author has an amazing writing style and I was pulled into the daily lives of a group of people that work at "Village Books". 


The best way I can explain myself is with this sentence: "Reading Village Books is like watching a good movie in my mind".  I feel about this story the same way I do when I re-watch my 2 favorite movies, "Sleepless In Seattle" and "You've Got Mail".
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A Time for Peace   (Quilts of Lancaster County #3) by Barbara Cameron

This is the first book I have read by Barbara Cameron.  I have read other Amish stories in the past but not one about an "Englisher" becoming "Amish" and marrying an Amish man with 3 children.


This is such a good read.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Matthew, Jenny, Joshua, Mary, Annie and all the other family members. Other Amish stories do not give you as much background into the Amish way as this book does.  I am always fascinated when reading about other cultures, religious beliefs and way of life.


I will certainly be on the look out for the previous 2 books in this "Quilts of Lancaster" series.

 

January 2013

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness

I read the first  book in this series last year and was so enthralled with the story of Diana and Matthew i purchased the second book when it came out.

I enjoyed reading this book so much.  I particularly enjoyed the time traveling twist into Elizabethan England.   The author obviously spent an enormous amount of time researching this era.  The details written in the story made this era come alive for me as I was reading.

I am looking forward to another story in the lives of Diana and Matthew.
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Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire, #1) by J.R. Rain

I just finished reading the first book in this series and is was so much fun to read.

An FBI agent turns Private Eye after she is bitten by a vampire and turned.  She is married with 2 young children.  Danny, her husband is a practicing lawyer and was so supportive when it first happened. Then things changed after the reality of it set in.  She knows he is having an affair but is still heart broken when he forces her to leave her 2 children and home.  Danny has a file that he gave his associate to hold in case anything happens to him.  This file if made public would expose her for who and what she is.

Sam is approached by Kingsley a well known and high profile lawyer to find the person who attempted to kill him on the courthouse steps.  She discovers he is a werewolf and fights a growing attraction to him.  Kingsley figures out she is a vampire and is becoming more and more attracted to Sam.

Sam figures out who is behind the attempt on Kingsley life as well as on her own.  Kingsley had a brief romantic interest in Sara a secretary working in his firm.  She became bitter and angry after he broke off the relationship. 

In the end Sam has a local detective show up in the nick of time to save her from being killed though Sara ends up dead.

I am off to read the next book in this series!
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 Vampire Moon (Vampire for Hire, #2) by J.R. Rain

 I am addicted.....

Moving on to the 3rd book in this series as I can't wait to read more adventures into the life of this PI vampire mother.
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American Vampire (Vampire for Hire, #3) by J.R. Rain 

Moving on to the 4th....  

This is such an addictive series.  So much fun to read.

If you thought the Twilight Series was the best then read these.  Just don't start reading them in the evening as they are hard to put down.
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 Moon Child (Vampire for Hire, #4) by J.R. Rain

This series just gets better with each book.  This book was the hardest for me to put down as I just needed to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.

I bought a 6 book set and this is the last book in this series.  I will have to go find the rest lol.  I need to find out what happens next in the Samantha Moon series.

The last 2 books are from the Spinoza series.

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 The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo by J.R. Rain 

 I enjoyed reading this book but not as much as the Samantha Moon series.  The was an interesting read but did not keep me glued to the book as the last 4 did.

I am on to the 2nd Spinoza...

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 The Vampire Who Played Dead (A Spinoza Novella) by J.R. Rain

 I enjoyed this one much more then the first one in this series, but I must say that my favorites by this author are the Samantha Moon series.

I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

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 Progeny (Paperback) by Shawn Hopkins

 I want to extend my thanks to the author, Shawn Hopkins, for reaching out to me with his book.

There are so many reasons I found myself fascinated with this story from the opening line.  The biblical references, the legends, mythology, and the research.  The story is well thought out and presented with great writing skill.

I became so involved with this story that at one point my husband had to nudge me to get my attention.  His comment "that must be a heck of a story you have your nose in, I have been trying to get your attention for the last 30 minutes", says it all.

Shawn you have an amazing writing talent and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

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The Prism of Ashlai (The Gailean Quartet #1) by Christine E. Schulze

 I wish to extend my thanks to the author, Christine E. Schulze, for providing me with a free copy to read and review.  I have been honored to read several of Christine's stories to date and I can honestly say that this story is my favorite.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, I was left with feelings of wanting more.  I strongly feel that the author needs to put more adventure into the story as the pace is too fast.  The descriptions of the different races and the land they inhabit is well thought out and presented.  The author should put as much attention into the characters and the quests which would engage and involve the reader. 

The dialog and interaction between each of the characters is exceptionally crafted and I particularly enjoyed the “friendly” arguing between Mandolin and Aryl.  The stories Chamblin and Gailea told of their travels was fun to read.

With poetic lines such as “His fingers plucked the strings lightly and with ease as if they were old friends his fingers gladly waltzed with” the author shows an amazing writing talent.  There are many such lines throughout this story and these are the lines that made this a good read.

 

February 2013

The Twelfth Child by Bette Lee Crosby   

 Many thanks to the author, Bette Lee Crosby, for gifting me with a copy of her book "The Twelfth Child".  As I have not read any previous books written by this author I did not know what to expect.

I so thoroughly enjoyed reading about Abigail her hopes and dreams and the life she eventually had.  Once I started reading this story I was unable to put my eReader down.  This is not a suspense filled story but a wonderful story of a woman and the life she lived.  How she runs away from home at such a young age to avoid a forced marriage.  Living with an elderly author as her companion until she dies unexpectedly. How she eventually ends up single and a Librarian.  To eventually retire in her early seventies and meeting Destiny.  A young lady she would grow to love as the daughter she never had.

Such an interesting story and a plausible one.  I was just left with one thought as I finished reading this story...... "What happened to the bonds"?  lol.

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 The Covenant (Abram's Daughters, #1) by Beverly Lewis

Another great read by Beverly Lewis.  This is such a heart warming story of young Amish people as they grow into young adulthood.

I enjoyed reading this story about Leah, her sisters, parents, neighbors, friends and the young man she falls in love with.

If you enjoy Amish stories add this story to your read list.

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 The Gatekeeper (The Keepers: L.A., #0.5) by Heather Graham

It is never disappointing to pick up a book written by Heather Graham.

The Gatekeeper is another good read in this series.  Saxon is elven and a cop.  The story opens with a bloodbath.  Nineteen dead and forty-nine hospitalized.  This story is a paranormal/mystery read that is fast paced and well written. 

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 Infinite Sacrifice (Infinite Series #1) by L.E. Waters 

This is a fascinating read.  The story opens with a Prologue that just grabbed me and pulled me into a wonderful reading experience. I wasn't sure I would enjoy reading a book on death and the afterlife.

The story is about Maya who after her death travels to what she thinks is heaven.  She meets her spiritual guide and a fascinating journey begins.  You, the reader quickly discover that this author spent an enormous time in research as she adds so much detail and thought into the lives of Maya.  The priest, the slave, the mother and the wife of a wealthy man.  The only life we didn't discover is the one she just lived through.

This was such an wonderful read and I was left with a whole new perspective on what the afterlife might be like.

I am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

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Naebody's Hero by Mark Wilson

Many thanks to the author, Mark Wilson, for making his latest book "Naebody's Hero" available to me.

This is such an interesting story in so many ways. A young boy abandoned by his parents, raised by foster parents, and his discovery of super abilities.

The story of Rob Hamilton and the people he meets and gets to know is an exceptionally crafted story with so many layers.

I found myself pulled into the story from the first page and stayed interested to the last page.

I was happy to read that there will be more Rob Hamilton adventures to read and enjoy.

Mark, you have such an exceptional writing talent and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

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Lethal by Sandra Brown 

As always, picking up a book written by Sandra Brown is never disappointing.  The opening sentence in this book grabs you.  The rest of the book is just as attention grabbing. 

Honor Gillette, a widow, with a young daughter becomes the hostage of Leo Coburn.  This man is wanted by the police and FBI for murdering seven men.  He threatens Honor and the safety of her daughter if she does not help him find something that her husband had possession of.  What follows is such an intriguing story that keeps you fascinated and engaged to the very last page.

If you love a good mystery then pick up this book or any other Sandra Brown.  You will not be disappointed.