Scrapbook of the Dead by Mollie Cox Byran

This book is the latest in the Cumberland Creek Mystery series by this author.  This book will be released September 29, 2017

Synopisis

Reporter Annie Chamovitz is a former investigative journalist who is now a stay at home Mom.  In order to get more adult communication and out of the house, she is part of Saturday night crop group called the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop.  They are making new scrapbooks for Halloween. However their new member is a little mysteries, the victims are sisters and there are gangs in the area who may have something to do with this crime.

Scrapbook of the DeadBook Review plus 4.3 stars

This is a very new read for me  because I was introduced to the author via her Cora Craft series.  However, I like cropping (don’t have a lot of time) and I like the fact that the main character has some experience.  Plus, this group of ladies is interesting.  I think it is a great read and a page turner.

 

Book Review: Miracle at the Higher Ground Cafe

Synopsis

Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Café, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.

Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea’s door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Café, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They’ve come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the café has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life’s biggest questions.

When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask God a question of her own. Heaven answers in a most unexpected way. (summary from the publisher)

Book Review

Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

I really like this book, because even though I am not going through a high-profile split I feel like a need someone to care.  I need someone to hold my hand.  God is here and is helping. I know the reason I am in this situation, but I don’t understand why it keeps going the way it does.  It is a good book to read and get your thoughts wrapped around it and maybe you feel better.

Book Review: Cluttered Attic Secrets

Synopsis

Professional organizer Tina Shaw rushes to her best friend’s ancestral home to determine if Leslie really saw a ghost. Tina doesn’t see one in the cluttered Newport, Rhode Island, Victorian attic, but she does hear strange noises. As she tries to reassure Leslie, the police and firefighters arrive because a murdered man has been found in Leslie’s side yard.

A note in his pocket reads My name is Joshua Young in childish printing. Leslie’s father’s name is Joshua Young, but the men are about a decade apart in age, and this man was killed outside the house where Leslie’s father grew up. Tina must help her friend find the answers to who the murdered man really was and why he was killed. And to what’s making the noises in the attic.

Book ReviewScreenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

This book was good, I really want to read the series associated with Jan Christensen.  I think that it is well written, just the kind you need a night when sleep is so far away.  It reminds you that there are friends, but that there are other people who are just idiots. This is a very enjoyable read and I encourage you to read it all the way to the end.

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Welcome to Fat Chance Texas

Synopsis

Trading her sandals for cowboy boots, Dymphna dives into her new life with equal parts anxiety and excitement. After all, she’s never felt quite at home in Santa Monica anyway. Maybe Fat Chance will be her second chance. But making it habitable is going take more than a lasso and Wild West spirit. With an opinionated buzzard overlooking the proceedings and mismatched strangers learning to become friends, Dymphna wonders if unlocking the secrets of her own heart is the way to strike real gold.

Book ReviewScreenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

Dymphna was introduced in one of the author’s earlier books. the idea of putting a group of strangers into a situation to see how they will interact may not be new, but the way this plot is laid out certainly was interesting.  Just when I thought I had figured out what would happen next, something happened to prove me wrong. Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas was an entertaining, light-hearted read. I feel badly that I finished it so quickly! Now I have to wait to see what happens when the next book comes out!

I was given this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Book Review: A Toast to Murder

Synopsis

As Milwaukee counts down to New Year’s Eve, bar owner Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton has but one resolution—unmask the dangerous mastermind who has been taunting her and killed bouncer Gary Gunderson. Mack and her fellow barflies have fleshed out a suspect and arranged an invite-only party to put a cork in the murderer’s game for good. But when the clock strikes midnight and their suspect is found cold and stiff on the basement stairs, it seems the celebration may have come too soon. Now Mack must rely on her special talents to find the real criminal among the crowd of revelers—or someone won’t survive until last call . . .

Book Review:  Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

This book was an interesting read.  I don’t mean that in a good way.  I had a difficult time reading the book because the MC: Mack was very self-centered.  I mean every three chapters we heard about her background, how she got her gift and on and on. . . .I almost made it a three, but the author did such a nice time in writing the book and I did like her friend that help her solve the mystery.

 

Book Review: Bearly Departed

Synopsis

Thirty-one-year-old Sasha Silverman leads a charmed life as a manager of the family teddy bear shop and factory. Well, except for the part about being a single divorcée with a ticking biological clock in small-town Silver Hollow. There is Will Taylor, the sales rep who’s set on making drastic changes to the business her parents built from scratch—with or without Sasha’s approval and making her feel like she is not worth consulting.

Unfortunately, someone has left Will’s dead body inside the factory. Now Sasha hot-tempered Uncle Ross is suspected of murdering him.  Sasha knows her uncle would never do such a thing, and she’s launching her own little investigation to expose the truth.

Book Review Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

Nice book, to many characters in it though, but I did like the premise of the bear making factory in the story.  Sasha is a good character.  However it is a good start to a fun series.

Book Review: Forgiveness

Synopsis

God says there are no limits to forgiveness toward others or ourselves. And when Matthew West set out on a journey asking people to share their true life stories, Renée shared about how she chose to forgive the drunk driver who hit and killed her daughter.

This remarkable story and others like it bring peace and healing to the one needing and the ones giving forgiveness. Fifty powerful stories share forgiveness through divorce, betrayal, addiction, abandonment, death, and more. Each story ties into the promises of God’s faithfulness and healing, and ends with the story of God’s ultimate forgiveness through the message of salvation

Book Review

I really like this book!  The book is based on his experiences from the letters he received when he was writing the song Forgiveness. I thought that the letters he received were very heartbreaking.  It is amazing to me how much pain some people can endure. This book illustrates some of these stories and I think it is a good example as to why people should forgive and it’s just for the other person, but a way for your get on with your life.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Acting White

Synopsis

What does it mean to “act black” or “act white”? Is race merely a matter of phenotype, or does it come from the inflection of a person’s speech, the clothes in her closet, how she chooses to spend her time and with whom she chooses to spend it? What does it mean to be “really” black, and who gets to make that judgment?

In Acting White?, leading scholars of race and the law Devon Carbado and Mitu Gulati argue that, in spite of decades of racial progress and the pervasiveness of multicultural rhetoric, racial judgments are often based not just on skin color, but on how a person conforms to behavior stereotypically associated with a certain race. Specifically, racial minorities are judged on how they “perform” their race. This performance pervades every aspect of their daily life, whether it’s the clothes they wear, the way they style their hair, the institutions with which they affiliate, their racial politics, the people they befriend, date or marry, where they live, how they speak, and their outward mannerisms and demeanor. Employing these cues, decision-makers decide not simply whether a person is black but the degree to which she or he is so. Relying on numerous examples from the workplace, higher education, and police interactions, the authors demonstrate that, for African Americans, the costs of “acting black” are high, and so are the pressures to “act white.” But, as the authors point out, “acting white” has costs as well. (summary take from the publisher.)

Book ReviewScreenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

Although the book mostly involves African American examples, the book clarifies the extra burden that people of color must confront to navigate the racial landscape present in all types of predominantly white institutions. It really discussed the issue that we all feel, predominately African American.  The is  highly informative and entertaining, but sobering, read. I think it is a good way to try to understand the racial landscape in this world.

This book was given to me from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for a honest review.

 

T

Book Review: Balancing Act

Synopsis
Rita Bellamy has had great success as an author, but it came at the expense of her marriage. Now she’s starting over in a small lakeside cottage, slowly rebuilding the confidence that was shattered.

Dory has moved to Washington D.C. to be with Griff.  This should be the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Dory’s life. Yet there are adjustments too, and sacrifices she never expected. And soon Dory must weigh the price of love against everything she hoped to gain. .

Book ReviewScreenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

This is a hard book to read, because Ms. Michaels writes in such a real manner.  It is almost as if your next door neighbor, your best friend or you are going through this section of the journey in life.  It is so hard!  So be prepared to live in your head and deal with the MC problems and you will come out of  it . . .

Book Review: Nic & Nigel Mysteries by Tracy Kiely

 A Perfect Manhattan MurderScreenshot 2017-09-07 17.03.07

Synopsis

Thrilled that their playwright friend’s Broadway debut was a rousing success, Nic and Nigel are trying to enjoy the A-list after-party with their pal Harper. Unfortunately, all the champagne and repartee in the world aren’t enough to overlook the churlish behavior of Harper’s theater-critic husband, Dan. (Not a nice person) Nic is shocked the next morning when she learns that Dan’s been murdered. Nigel thinks the world may be a better place without him.

Still, Harper is their friend and they’re intent on helping her any way they can.

Book Review Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

I did like this book and felt so sorry for Harper.  He was not a nice man.  He took full advantage over the fact that his wife was a lovely, well connected and RICH person.  Harper’s friends weren’t to happy with Dan, but well.  . . . read the book and enjoy!!!

 

Murder with a TwistScreenshot 2017-09-07 17.02.06

Synopsis

Visiting New York to attend a cousin’s birthday gala, Nic and Nigel Martini are looking forward to cocktails with old friends and a pampered stay at the Ritz. But when the birthday girl’s gold-digging cad of a husband goes missing, the Martini family worries that the social event of the season may turn into a story for the scandal sheets.

Nigel’s condescending aunt begs former detective Nic to find sleazy Leo, despite the fact that it would be better for everyone if he just stayed lost. Trailing a “married bachelor” with a penchant for trouble isn’t pretty; in fact it’s downright deadly. Assisted by Nigel and their newly adopted Bullmastiff, Nic must tangle with her old underworld connections if she hopes to hunt down the dirtiest Martini

Book Review Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

The Bullmastiff made that story.  He sounds like such a cute dog.  I kid you not.  Every time Nic was supposed to be doing something that dog bailed him out.  He is a huge dog by the description, however, I digress.  I felt same way about the missing husband as Nic did and I really didn’t blame him for his lack of care towards him.  But you have to read the story, if only to get to know the Bullmastiff. 

Killer Cocktail Screenshot 2017-09-07 17.01.11 

Synopsis

Walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards with a bow-tied Bullmastiff draws Nic and Nigel Martini plenty of attention from the press. But that’s nothing compared to the attention they receive at the A-list after party, when Hollywood royalty learn they’ve discovered behind-the-scenes footage from an acclaimed film that left one of its stars dead.

Returning home after the party, Nic and Nigel find their house in shambles and their employee DeDee Evans beaten within an inch of her life. And when the weapon used to pummel DeDee implicates a beloved actress, Nic and Nigel drink and banter their way into a modern-day version of a golden-age crime caper.

Book Review Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

 

These books are so much fund and Tracy Kiely really know how to connect the two main charcters.  It was a lovely story and and the series just gets better and better.  Can’t wait for the next book.

A WordPress.com Website.

Up ↑