I Feel So Unnecessary

Gooseberry Island by Steven Manchester My rating: 4 of 5 stars Published Jan. 2015 300 pages They met at the worst possible moment...or maybe it was just in time. David McClain was about to go to war and Lindsey Wood was there at his going-away party, capturing his heart when falling for a woman was the last thing on his mind. While David was serving his country, he stayed in close contact with Lindsey. But war changes a person, and when he came home very little had the same meaning that it had before – including the romance that had sustained him. Was love truly unconquerable, or would it prove to be just another battlefield casualty? * I was given a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. It made me smile and it made me cry- A LOT. It was a book with a timely message- about veterans with PTSD and the war in Afghanistan. The message was a serious one but was written in a very sensitive and effective way. I felt as if I was with the characters both on Goo...

The Cana Mystery by David  Beckett My rating: 3 of 5 stars Publisher: Tuscany Press, 2013 338 pages Genre: Historical Thriller Digging in the heart of the vast desert, archeologists unearth something that will change history. Legends tell of an ancient code no mortal man can read. Summoned from grad school in Boston, brilliant Ava Fischer might be the only person alive with the skills and attributes necessary to unlock a secret that's slept for centuries. Chased by ruthless criminals, terrorists, and fanatics, Ava must rely on her keen wits and her few loyal companions to survive. Can she evade danger long enough to solve The Cana Mystery?  Book Source:Netgalley Part Indiana Jones, part Da Vinci Code; the Cana mystery is a thrilling read, especially the scenes set in present day. The chapters that went back in time were important to the plot, though they weren't quite as exciting as the ones set today. The story kept me well entertained, though. Th...

The Fire ( Northwest Passage # 4) By: John A. Heldt Genre: Adventure/History/Touch of Romance Publisher: John A. Heldt , 2013 I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. When recent college graduate Kevin Johnson joins his family in Wallace, Idaho to clean out his late grandfather's house he finds more than he bargained for. It leads to a hidden treasure and a diary that takes him on an adventure- way back to 1910 Wallace. And while there he gets more than he bargained for. This is a sequel to The Journey but also includes cameos from Joel and Grace from The Mine and The Show. I liked that element. I found the book to be entertaining and hard to put down. I recommend all The Northwest Passage Novels.     Visit John: Facebook Goodreads Go on! Get 'em today, they're very reasonably priced.  Lisa

The Butterfly and the Violin Hidden Masterpiece #1 By: Kristy Cambron 329 pages Genre: Historical/Romantic/Christian Fiction Publisher: Thomas Nelson, July 2014 Source: Received complimentary copy from publisher via BookLook Bloggers  Present day: Art gallery owner Sera James is looking for a painting she seen as a child that haunted her. To her it links her to her Father. When she meets William Vanover- who has loaned her the painting they decide to work together to try to find it. William has a stake in finding it as well- his family's fortune. 1942: Adele Von Bron, a renowned concert violinist. Her story will take her from a privileged upbringing to a concentration camp- sent there for helping Jews. Her only hope is to become a member of the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz. There the thought of playing for God in the face of evil sustains her. As William and Sera try to unravel the mystery of the painting they find that even in the midst of unspeakable horror th...

A Silent Prayer Book One of A Prayer Series By: Samreen Ahsan Genre: Romance 330 pages iUniverse, 2014 Set in Toronto it follows Adam Gibson a successful businessman who is an atheist.He's never had a meaningful relationship. But when he meets Raina his life changes. She's beautiful, exotic,  mysterious, and devoted to God. He's never been more drawn to anyone like her before. He meets her in a place that no one else knows exists. As he falls in love with Raina he reconsiders his beliefs. But Raina has a dark past and evil forces conspire to keep them apart. Can Raina trust Adam enough so he can help her fight her demons and have the love she's longing for? This is a deep thought provoking supernatural love story. But a different kind of supernatural. No vampires, werewolves, or ghosts. I found it to be an  enlightening read . However, the language seem stilted at times and for me the book was hard to get through at times. It is a very interesting concept, th...

Sleeping Beauty and the Beast By: Melissa Lemon Genre: Fantasy/Romance 300 pages  Published by: CreateSpace, June 2014 I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Princess Eglantine has been asleep for years, cursed by a witch. The only experiences she has are the ones in her dreams. There she meets Prince Henry of Fallund, a neighboring country. Meanwhile Henry's brother Prince Duncan became intrigued by a beastly woman in prison for murder. He looks to free her from both the prisons she's in- the cage she's in and the one surrounding her heart. A fun fantasy novel. I like the mashup when they're well written- and this one was. I did find the story of the Beast more compelling than Beauty's but still enjoyed the chapters concerning her. The book kept my attention and the author did a good job blending the stories together.So it's getting... Melissa Lemon is the author of two other fairy tale retellings:  Cinder and Ella ...

Back on the Market By: L.A. Frazier Genre: Mystery 274 pages Publisher: Cup of Tea Books  Publication Date: December 2012 Synopsis: Recently divorced, forty-something Vicky Andrews desperately needs a life. Finding her boss naked and dead at an open house she's hosting was not what she had in mind. Wishing she'd spend more time reading Nancy Drew in her formative years, Vicky calls upon her own intuition and various investigative skills to try to find a piece of incriminating evidence the murderer thinks she has--before the murderer finds her. She might decide that the world has it in for her if not for Detective Nick Carson, who shares frustration, information, and more than a few fantastic kisses as he tries to solve the case. Throw in a rescued miniature dachshund, a skeleton named Max, and a coven of well-intentioned neighbors, and maybe, just maybe, Vicky has found exactly what she needs. My Thoughts: * I received a complimentary copy from...

Pressed Pennies By: Steven Manchester Genre: Romance 355 pages Publisher: The Story Plant Publication Date: May 13, 2014 Synopsis: Rick and Abby grew up together, became best friends, and ultimately fell in love. Circumstance tore them apart in their early teens, though, and they went on to lives less idyllic than they dreamed about in those early days. Rick has had a very successful career, but his marriage flat-lined. Abby has a magical daughter, Paige, but Paige's father nearly destroyed Abby's spirit. Now fate has thrown Rick and Abby together again. In their early thirties, they are more world-weary than they were as kids. But their relationship still shimmers, and they're hungry to make up for lost time. However, Paige, now nine, is not nearly as enthusiastic. She's very protective of the life she's made with her mother and not open to the duo becoming a trio. Meanwhile, Rick has very little experience dealing with kids and doesn'...

The Mirror (Northwest Passage #5) By: John A. Heldt Genre: Adventure/History/Romance Publisher: John A. Heldt Publication Date: March 2014 384 pages Go on get it: Amazon Synopsis:   On September 11, 2020, Ginny and Katie Smith celebrate their nineteenth birthday at a country fair near Seattle. Ignoring the warnings of a fortune-teller, they enter a house of mirrors and exit in May 1964. Armed with the knowledge they need to return to their time, they try to make the most of what they believe will be a four-month vacation. But their sixties adventure becomes complicated when they meet a revered great-grandmother and fall in love with local boys. In THE MIRROR, the continuation of THE MINE and THE SHOW, the sisters find happiness and heartbreak as they confront unexpected challenges and gut-wrenching choices in the age of civil rights, the Beatles, and Vietnam. My Thoughts: * I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. This ...

Moonless (Maiden of Time # 1) By: Crystal Collier Genre: YA Historical 323 pages Publisher: Raybourne Publication Date: November 2013 Buy it here: Amazon B&N * I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor's estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world-especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night. Among the many things to change for her that evening are: her physical appearance-from ghastly to breathtaking, an epidemic of night terrors predicting the future, and the blue-eyed man's unexpected infusion into her life. Not only do his appearances precede tragedies, but they're echoed by the arrival of ravenous, black-robed...

Something Yellow  By: Laura Templeton 324 pages Publisher: Page Spring Publishing  Publication Date: October 2013 Genre: Romantic Suspense Buy it: Amazon B&N Add it on Goodreads Synopsis: It has been thirteen years since Holly’s nine-year-old sister, Rachel, disappeared without a trace. It has been thirteen years since Holly left her hometown. It has been thirteen years since Holly’s first love and high school boyfriend, Houston, was the only suspect. Now another nine-year-old girl has disappeared. Holly is back, and so is Houston—never charged and still proclaiming his innocence. Can she trust him . . . should she trust him? My Thoughts: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed reading this book- I'm from the mountains of Southwest Virginia and it was a refreshing change not to have my people depicted as lazy, uneducated, toothless in-breeders. The characters ...