Review~Lost: One Pair of Rose Colored Glasses~Shay Ray Stevens~4 Stars

****4 Stars****

I started this book on the recommendation of a friend, as I don't often read this genre of book. I am ever so glad I did! I am not quite sure how Shay Ray Stevens did it, but I think she got into the minds of every newly married woman (and those of us who have been forever) in America. I loved that it was light hearted and humorous, and while eye opening to women of all ages and marital status, it was not nasty or condescending. Written from a woman's perspective, this book poignantly captured the emotions and the struggles of the first year of marriage from adjusting to living with another person, to finding your place in his family, to the financial struggles, and even caring for the pets. I find that Emily's character was totally relatable, in fact, I kept thinking, when did she meet my husband? I believe that Miss Stevens hit a home run with this book and I am anxiously anticipating starting the second in the series! I have to know what happens with Ben and Emily next!

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LOST: ONE PAIR OF ROSE COLORED GLASSES

Review~Villere House~C.D. Hussey & Leslie Fear~5 Stars

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

Y’all y’all y’all y’all y’all! This was one creeptastic read! I really hate to admit this, but I do sometimes judge a book by it’s cover. This cover promised me a creepy ghostly mystery and the authors delivered! What more could a little Cajun girl want, than a mystery, a centuries old curse, the French Quarter, New Orleans, Voodoo queens, Papa Legba, hauntings, ghosts, vampire bars, cemeteries, evil spiteful spirits and more lagniappe than you could shake a stick at? Oh yeah, a love story too! The imagery that these two managed was nothing short of fantastic. I swear I could smell the perfume of the South that New Orleans exudes from every bend of the river.

This story moves at a lighting pace, no boring moments, and there was no fluff. Everything was relevant to the story line. And what a story! The relationships that Lottie has with her friends and the relationship that Xavier has with his family are vibrant. I wanted to be their friends too! The sexual chemistry between Lottie and Xavier was off the charts, and you also saw it mirrored in the relationship of Laurent and Elise. I think the authors did a great job of blending their two styles almost seamlessly, it never felt that I was reading the writing of 2 different authors. The characters were strong and rich. I loved the way the historical flashbacks were done, the dream sequences were outstanding.

I must say, the way they wrapped this up and melded everything together kind of blew my mind. How did I not see it? I said this to myself more than once. The story was so engrossing that my mind didn’t wander off on its usual jaunts to figure out the answers! I am looking forward to book 2!

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VILLERE HOUSE

Review~The Restorer~Amanda Stevens~5 Stars

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

The first line of the book, "I was nine when I saw my first ghost," set off the alarm bells in my mind. I cannot begin to explain the primal and visceral reaction I had to this one. There were times when I literally had to set the book down to shudder and smooth away the goose bumps. It was as if she called all my family and friends and asked them what my phobias were, to a tee. From ghosts to snakes, to spiders, to claustrophobia, to looking out the window at night! But I can 100%, without a doubt tell you that I absolutely loved this book, every moment of it.

The freaky paranormal aspect of this book wasn't the only thing that drew me in, it is rich with Southern traditions, well researched history, and interesting settings. The intriguingly sinister ghosts, that were not your run of the mill misunderstood specters that will go to their rest if you find Grandma's doily for them. Her writing flows so well. I loved that she made use of seldom used words and phrasing, lots of southern colloquialisms and didn't feel the need to over explain the `big' words, because contextually they were unmistakable. She even used phonetic Gullah in some conversations, which added to the vibrancy of the novel.

Amelia is someone I would like to call my friend. She is a cemetery restorer and also has a blog named, "Digging Graves," that were it real, I would totally be stalking. She is a bit odd, reclusive maybe and standoffish with most people, but heck y'all if I were seeing ghosts, you might have already committed me! Because of her, let's call it `talent', she doesn't do relationships well, and when the hot John Devlin shows up, sparks fly, and collide. He is a man with a past, and still hung up on his late wife and child....and they on him. So while there is a romance element to the book , and a pretty smoking smutty scene, it is more of a hum in the background because she knows that she can't be with him. I will leave it for you to discover why.

The murder mystery which Amelia gets drawn into was well done, with lots of twists and turns and you totally don't see the complete picture until the very end and what an ending! While on campus of Emerson University for the restoration of Oak Grove Cemetery, she becomes the target of the murderer, for what the murderer thinks she knows. The murderer taunts her using her blog and using grave stone art and poems found throughout the cemetery as well as the symbolism of Emerson's elite secret society, knowing that she is the only one who will be able to "read" the symbolism in the clues.

I eagerly am looking forward to the next novel, The Kingdom (The Graveyard Queen #2), as I am dying to know more about Amelia and her family, as there were a lot of questions left unanswered about her family, especially her parents. I for one cannot wait to see what kind of mystery Amelia gets dragged into next and what role the cemetery art and symbolism will play.

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THE RESTORER

Review~The Blood Gospel~James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell~5 Stars

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

Just when you thought, there couldn't be yet another Vampire series out there, along comes Blood Gospel-The Order of the Sanguines #1.

History, adventure, vampires, creatures, budding romance, intrigue, and a awesome cliffhanger! I love James Rollins! As with any James Rollins book, when you open it and read that 1st word, you are whisked away into a well researched and superbly plotted adventure. This book is co-authored with Rebecca Cantrell, add in Ms Cantrell's gothic style and suddenly it becomes a novel to cross genres. (I am looking forward to reading her novels as well!) I highly recommend this one, but be prepared, as it is not one you will want to put down until the final page. Looking forward to the second installment of this book, due out next year! Happy reading!

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THE BLOOD GOSPEL

Review~The Scent of Rain and Lightning~Nancy Pickard~4 Stars

****4 Stars****

The Scent of Rain and Lightning. Nancy Pickard wrote a solid one here. I usually can figure out who-dun-it very quickly, though I love reading through to see how the author gets there, and to make sure I am right of course. I can honestly say, I thought just about every character in this book "dun-it"! The plot was well played out. The characters were likable/lovable and hated/pitied. The story compelling. The twist at the end, now that I did not see coming. Well done Ms. Pickard, well done! I encourage you to read this one!

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THE SCENT OF RAIN & LIGHTNING

Review~Anything But Civil~Anna Loan-Wilsey~4 Stars

****4 Stars****

As a huge fan of historical mysteries, I was excited to receive this ARC for review. I thought the description of the story was intriguing. I can honestly tell you that I was not disappointed! From the start I noticed 2 things; the first being well developed characters. There was no apathy toward any of them really, you despised the jerks and you loved the heroine, I never felt like they lacked anything. The second was the author’s research into the time period. This novel is set post-Civil War, in Kansas, during the Victorian period. The author did a fantastic job of illustrating the class divide, structure and customs of the time period.

While I found at least 2 of the characters practically reprehensible, there were several more that I completely enjoyed, however, I can’t help but have fallen in love with Hattie. She is a remarkably written woman. I particularly like that the author wrote her to be a strong, independent, self-sufficient woman in a time period that authors commonly write women to be weak and needy, and often uneducated in worldly matters. Hattie handles herself with class and dignity, gives the illusion that she knows her place, and as it happens, this illusion puts her in a better position to get the information that she needs to solve the murder, especially after her employer is arrested for murder!

All in all, I will say that Anything But Civil should be high on your TBR shelves. It was a roller coaster of twists and turns, where there are tons of suspects and little in the way of clues. It will keep you guessing until the very end! I will definitely be checking out the author’s first novel, A Lack of Temperance, and eagerly anticipate the third in the series.

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ANYTHING BUT CIVIL

REview~The Curse of Malenfer Manor~Iain McChesney~5 Stars

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

This is a book about a curse, cast by a vindictive witch, on the Malenfer family generations ago. Far be it from me to say that she didn't have her reasons, for she certainly did; however, this book isn't one dimensional in that it doesn't focus on just the curse. This book is also a war story, a ghost story, and a love story. Completing this book is a complement of elements: a threatening mystery, the witch, an ancestral curse, a creepy graveyard, hidden rooms, an angry mob, murders, greed, revenge, regret, but above all, a story of redemption and renewal, with a wicked twist. This, to me, is a true Gothic novel, complex in plot, with quite a few subplots branching out that leave you guessing until the very end..."WHODUNNIT?"

The descriptions of the people and places are very vivid, yet subtle. The author didn't get carried away. His characters are superbly written to fit into this story. There isn't one that is extraneous; everyone has a purpose to fulfill. Not one of them feels "innocent" throughout the book. They all feel like they are slightly off, some downright nefarious, and therein lies the twist. The two main actors in this tale have such dimension, without a lot of fluff. Dermot is haunted by what he did and saw during WWII and is especially distraught over the death of his friend. Arthur, who happens to be a ghost, is haunted by the loss of his family to the curse and enlists Dermot to try and make sure it doesn't happen again. What you don't get at first is that Dermot is actually haunted by not only the war, but with the guilt he feels about how Arthur died. Imagine his surprise when he is in a café drinking away his pain, and Arthur walks by. And thus it begins...

There is so much I want to say about this one. I hesitate because I don't want to write a spoiler. So much happens in this book that it is also difficult to focus on one aspect of the story. Contrary to what you would think with this many side stories, it is not a jumbled mess. I love the way each component fits into the other. It just feels complete to me. All the story lines are wrapped up at the end, leaving you feeling satisfied. I saw a description in a review recently that this was sort of a ghostly French Downton Abbey. I would go a little further and say a French Downton Abbey that meets the creepiness of The Woman in Black.

If you are looking for an engaging, seat of your pants, gothic ghostly creeper of a story for Halloween, this is it!

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THE CURSE OF MALENFER MANOR