Review~Death Notice~Alicia Dean~4 Stars

****4 Stars****

Now this is my kind of read, twists and turns, beautiful character development, plot that unfolds like a freshly laundered sheet...The ending literally took me by surprise, I thought I had figured out! There were characters you loved, characters you hated, all strongly written. The book flowed very well. As you can see, I am not giving anything away on this one!! You will have to read this one for yourself to understand why I can't wait to follow Monroe Donovan into her next adventure.

Available from Amazon.com:

Death Notice

Review~The Pillars of the Earth~Ken Follett~5 Stars

*****5 Stars*****

12th century medieval England, Royals, peasants, a singing jongleur, accused witch, Frenchmen, Englishmen, castles, cathedrals, monastic orders, murder, mayhem, love, sex, betrayal, rivalry, intrigue, treachery, deception... (No Emma, no vamps!)...I could go on for days! This book has. it. all!

At 1000 pages, even I must admit, I was a little hesitant to dive in. The story begins a little slowly, as do most epics of this magnitude, it spans 1123-1174 during the 12th century in England, civil war about to erupt, the time of King Stephen and the Anarchy. But just hold on, because it is an emotional ride! I could barely function in the couple of days it took me to devour this book. I remember standing at the stove, spoon in one hand, book in the other trying to make dinner for my family. (Unlike Tay, I still was able to cook for my family LOL) You will be writhing in your seat, holding your breath, livid with indignation, shouting for justice, swooning at the love stories, crying in sadness and joy. (I also read the follow up to Pillars, World Without End, and it is just as good).

Lets start with a short cast of characters shall we, as expected, there is a host of major, semi major and minor characters in a novel this epic. Ken Follett did an amazing job developing and bringing them to life. The story is really centered around 3 major characters and their families, friends and enemies. The central plot revolves around the building of a new cathedral in Kingsbridge after the old one tragically (and conveniently) burns. Prior Philip wants to glorify God, Tom Builder wants a job. You are swept through the turmoil, joys and daily lives differently with each character, which is quite surprising in its captivating detail. You get to experience the major events of the time with the characters, through each wildly differing perspective. This novel is like a complex wine. (can you tell this is one of my favorites yet?!) This is a novel where you actually come to care about the characters, whether cheering them on, praying for things to go their way, or those characters you just want to stab in the eyeball with an ice pick and hope get crushed under a cathedral stone in a sewer filled street. (OK, so I am a tad passionate!)

Tom Builder (Total Hottie) A man looking for for work to feed his starving family. He desperately wants to build his dream, the most beautiful and unique cathedral in all of England, but can't find work even as a basic stone mason.

Prior Philip A kind hearted & devout monk, sometimes too devoted to the Bible's teachings, who wants to reform and make grand again the Priory of Kingsbridge and build a cathedral.

Lady Aliena (Total Babe in every sense of the word....I am totally not biased!) The beautiful and strong daughter of a the powerful Earl Bartholomew who is imprisoned, stripped of his title and lands, and dies in his support of Maud over Stephen for the crown. She at one time is betrothed to William, subsequently rejects him, loses everything, gains it all back, with a little revenge thrown in for good measure.

Minor characters

Jack Jackson (Builder), Son of Ellen and the Jongleur. A gifted artist, somewhat mysterious at first. Falls in love with Aliena at first sight.

Ellen, daughter of a knight, love interest of Tom Builder, accused of being a witch for cursing a priest. Watches the love of her life swing in the gallows.

Richard, Aliena's younger extremely whiny brother. Wants to be a big boy, but always dependent on our lovely heroine.

Alfred Builder, Tom's son, husband of Aliena. A despicable creature.

Waleran Bigod, (Even typing this name gives me the willies.) Total villainous douche bag, he has other plans, he wants to build a bishops castle and gain power, feathering his own nest if you will, at the expense of Kingsbridge. He also has some very deep sins to hide.

Agnes, wife of Tom, mother to Alfred and Martha, dies in childbirth.

Lord Percy Hamleigh, This guy is totally in the same league as Bigod. Wants Bartholomew's Earldom and will go to any length to secure it.

Lady Regan Hamliegh, wife of Lord Percy, who thankfully gets her comeuppance. She is a nasty, haggard creature, scheming and deceiving to get the Earldom for her husband and son.

William Hamliegh, son of Lord and Lady Hamliegh, was betrothed to Aliena, unfortunately, due to the nature of my despisal of him, I don't believe has any redeeming qualities.

There are still a host of other minor characters, but this list should totally suffice to whet your whistle.

Ok, so now lets talk plot...The long and short of it....This is an intricately woven tale of plots, subplots , and counter plots that carefully and intricately come to fruition. Meaning that somehow, someway each character is linked with the other somewhere in the tale. In the interest of trying to do this novel justice, we decided to use the authors synopsis of the book because I, well, talk too much! Suffice it to say, Ken Follett hit it out of the park with this novel!

Currently Available from Amazon.com:

The Pillars of the Earth

Review~The Healer's Gift~Barbara Cutrera~3 Stars

***3 Stars***

While this type of story is not my general cup of tea, I went into it with an open mind, and was surprised at flow and depth of this one. The main characters were Ainsland, the 18 year old virgin widow who is trying to escape from her husband's murderer and Collum, a much older healer that has some supernatural abilities. Collum rescues Ainsland when he finds her passed out in the woods and heals her injuries. From here begins a tender love story.

I was most impressed at the clear demarcation that Mrs. Cutrera was able to make between good and evil, demonstrating to us the goodness that is inherent in most human beings. The trials and tribulations suffered by the two main characters were horrible at best, beatings, whippings, kidnapping, & miscarriage. However, this allowed the author to illustrate some impressive familial bonds, even after being estranged for some time. All in all, for being a novella, there was a ton of information packed in. I am giving this one 3 stars. While not my general type of reading, it was a story of love between two gentle people and the unbreakable bond of family.

Currently available from Amazon.com: 

THE HEALER'S GIFT

Review~The Ghost in the Graveyard~Genevieve Jack~4 Stars

****4 Stars****

WOW! That was my first thought when I finished this one. I was entertained from the opening words to the last page. Seriously y'all, I cannot believe this book is free on Amazon. I feel so awful about this one being free I might just send Miss Jack price of the book.

The characters are well developed, intensely likable and totally believable. A very fast paced read, seemingly leaving you breathless in some parts. I read this one practically in one sitting, mostly because I didn't want to put it down.

Vamps, demons, zombies, winged things, ghosts, and witches. It had all the elements of fun! The sex was pretty hot, but left enough to the imagination to make it tasteful. The thought of living practically in a cemetery is super creepy too! I can't wait to read the next one to find out who Grateful Knight (super awesome name!) chooses, will it be the hot, hunky, chiseled love of her lives, Rick, or will it be the needy, green eyed, super coffee maker, chef extraordinaire spectral (sort of) Logan? I know who I am rooting for! Could it be Gary? Or will Gary become even more of a JERK? Will Mr. Hellborine be revealed? Are they in store for a supernatural war?? I need to know!

I would like to know more about her past. I was slightly disappointed that the aspect of the book wasn't fleshed out more.

All in all, this is one for the favorites shelf! Looking forward to the next book! Get this one before Miss Jack realizes that it is still free! LOL

Currently available from Amazon.com:  GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD

Review~Little Joe (Round Rock Series)~Michael E. Glasscock III~4 Stars

****4 Stars****

**I was provided an ARC for an honest review. All opinion are my own.

An authentic portrait of life, unfettered by the demands of our modern lives, in small town America in, the period leading up to WWII. A story of innocence, loss, uncertainty, prejudice, unlikely friendship, acceptance, forgiveness, and love. I was captivated from page one, the author recreated a world most of us have only read about. I enjoyed the scenes of small town farm life he depicted in this book. I am greatly looking forward to following Little Joe over the next novels to find out where his story leads and to see who he becomes.

The depth of emotion that I felt for Little Joe exceeded what I envisioned when I read the synopsis. I was drawn into a world, that while in a state of anxious anticipation for a war that we were being drawn into, was still innocent and loving. When we meet him, in the hospital, just learning of the death of his parents, he meets his grandparents, whom it seems he doesn't really know. He is thrust into their world by cruel fate, and seemingly has a hard time adjusting to his new life. His grandparents seem distant and almost uninterested at times. But you soon realize that they are guiding and shaping him to become a caring and responsible young man.

I would have no problems recommending this book to people of all ages.

Currently available at Amazon.com: LITTLE JOE

Review~The Paris Architect~Charles Belfoure~5 Stars

*****5 Stars*****

**I was provided an ARC of this novel for an honest review and all opinions are my own.

I find it hard to believe that this was a debut novel. Mr. Belfoure has produced a fast paced thriller that not only brought the characters to life, but made me feel their emotions and produced a visceral reaction to what the atmosphere of Paris must have been like in Nazi occupied France during WWII. Life during WWII and the occupation was difficult at best, food was scarce and rationed, neighbor was against neighbor. You did well to stay to yourself and cast suspicion on everyone around you. Life was endured, not enjoyed. The dialog was at times uncomfortable, so hard to believe that people thought and felt that way about a group of people.

This is the story of Lucien, a struggling architect, trying to make a name for himself. This is also the story of inner conflict. When you first meet Lucien, he is really apathetic to the plight of the Jews, and scared to death of the Nazis. He is more concerned with the internal struggle of his wants and needs versus being turned in or caught and tortured and put to death, than what would become of the Jews he is helping to hide. Then, in a twist of fate, he becomes a double agent of sorts, designing factories for the Germans, all the while still helping Jews to hide. What happens is all to real. What happens will make you think. What happens will keep you reading this one through the night.

I give this one *5* stars. I am definitely a fan of Mr. Belfoure, and eagerly anticipate his next novel.

Currently available at Amazon.com:  THE PARIS ARCHITECT

Review~Muse (Descended From Myth)~Erin McFadden~5 Stars

*****5 Stars*****

******I received Muse as an ARC for an honest review.*******

I waited after finishing this book to write this review to see if after a couple of days my thoughts on it might change. Nope! Simply put, I loved this book, from start to finish. I loved the characters, the story, the action, the sarcasm, the obscure references to television shows and movies of my youth. There were awwww moments, there were angry moments and there were moments that were truly laugh out loud. It was a coming of age story, a love story, an action packed roller coaster wrapped up in a neat little package.

I was unsure how this book would play out. Ms. McFadden managed to pull off something extraordinary here. She wrote this entire book in first person. The chapters vacillated back and forth between the 2 characters, entirely in the first person aspect of each. It was never repetitive, never boring, and the story flowed as well as if it were written from a single character's perspective. For that, I applaud you. She also managed to captivate my imagination, I understood everything she was telling me, but she wasn't overly wordsy. So here goes, I will try not to give anything away because this is a must read.

The plot was well researched, well thought out, and excellently executed. There were no moments of lag, the flow was smooth, the resolution complete. I look forward to the next books in the series as there is a lot more I want to know about the supporting characters and their stories, especially the Brotherhood of the Guardians...I WANT MORE!!

The characters are well developed, strong and are interesting enough that they could develop into lead characters with little effort. The main characters are well written. Unlike most novels in this genre, they are not unbelievable in their strengths and weaknesses. They are down to earth, strong, likable, and seem very very approachable.

Anna, what can I say about Anna? This girl is amazing, but not unbelievably so. She comes from a loving home, with doting parents. She was adopted at a young age and she has always wondered where she comes from and what happened to her parents. She is slightly naive, a little dingy, totally down to earth, totally real, and the kind of person I could see myself being friends with. I don't know how she did it, but I could totally see myself doing some of the things she did.

Daniel, one word. YUM. Down to earth, chiseled hottie, who only has eyes for his Talent. He is funny, he is handsome, and totally dedicated to his job and family. He is completely in love with Anna, but is torn because he has seen the road that Talents usually take and knows that he will get his heart broken. I love that no matter what she can do to him, he is always on her side and loves her without hesitation.

Unlike most, I started this book with no expectations beyond the interesting premise, but was sucked in immediately and entirely. I will not hesitate to read anything else that Ms. McFadden puts to paper. Mark my words, this girl is going to be BIG!

Currently Available at Amazon.com:  MUSE