Cobble Cove Mystery Series-Book 1 & 2 Review

About the book (provided by Great Escapes Book Tours)

Librarian Alicia McKinney has put the past behind her…

Two years ago, Alicia discovered both a terrible truth and lasting love with John McKinney in the small town of Cobble Cove, New York. Now a busy mother of twin babies and co-author of a mystery series, Alicia couldn’t be happier.

Alicia’s contentment and safety are challenged…

Walking home alone from the library, Alicia senses someone following her, and on more than one occasion, she believes she is being watched. Does she have a stalker? When the local gift shop is burglarized, the troubling event causes unrest among Alicia and the residents of the quiet town.
John and Alicia receive an offer they can’t refuse…

When John’s sister offers to babysit while she and John take a much-needed vacation in New York City, Alicia is reluctant to leave her children because of the disturbances in Cobble Cove. John assures her the town is safe in the hands of Sheriff-elect Ramsay. Although Alicia’s experience with and dislike of the former Long Island detective don’t alleviate her concern, she and John take their trip.

Alicia faces her worst nightmare…

The McKinneys’ vacation is cut short when they learn their babies have been kidnapped and John’s sister shot. Alicia and John’s situation puts them between a rock and a hard place when the main suspect is found dead before the ransom is paid. In order to save their children, the McKinneys race against the clock to solve a mystery more puzzling than those found in their own books. Can they do it before time runs out?

And I thought

While the story played out I was guessing who dun it!  In my opinion the sign of a good story/plot.  

Although I felt the story seemed a little slow for me I enjoyed it.

Books I read on my phone always take me longer to read. I find myself at each page turn itching for the book to speed up.  Get on with the crime.  I cheer for the sleuths and I am anxious for the criminals to be caught.

I was not disappointed.  Once the break in, shooting and kidnapping occurs the reader is on a fast ride to the end.  

I did feel like there was a lot of background information which kind of made the story drag on for me.  The writer gives detail into the happenings in book 1 to set the pace for the reader who hasn't read book 1.   

Available

Amazon eBook - Universal Link  - Amazon paperback - Universal link

Book Review-Bai Tide-By Erika Mitchell

About (provided by TLC Tours)

 Paperback: 244 pages
 Publisher: Champagne Books; First Edition edition (April 5, 2015)

An espionage thriller for people who like explosions and sarcasm.

CIA case officer Bai Hsu is stationed in San Diego, where his job is to safeguard the valuable emotional collateral of some of the world’s most powerful people (read: their kids). Just when he thinks he’s landed the easiest assignment of all time, an operative starts targeting the school and it’s up to Bai to figure out who the operative is after, and why. This fast-paced story will take you from the picturesque beaches of San Diego to a deadly blizzard in Pyongyang and make Bai question everything he thought he knew about working in the field, and about himself.

Available

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And I thought
A pleasant surprise.  I honestly didn't know what to expect from 
Bai Hsu. 
The action began with page 1 continuing to the end. 
On an undercover mission at a girls school Bai's assignment is to figure our what's going when someone seems to be target the school and probably one of the students.  Why is the question. 
The action begins right from page one when an unknown operative 
sneaks into a dance. Bai immediately spots the suspect and takes chase only to loose him(?) when a car is explodes.  Bai narrowly escapes with his life!
Bai begins almost a stumble bum investigation.  He begins to check out the security at the school and is caught and his performance is questioned. 
Then when he finds another operative Annette another faculty member Bai is assigned to 'play nice' and work together.  The alliance doesn't last long when an assassin sneaks in while the two are investigating and shoots and kills Annette. 
In wake of the shooting Bai begins feeling his performance is 'shoddy'.  I couldn't help but agree.  
Although the story was intriguing I wasn't real captivated by 
Bai.  Once he meets a woman running on the beach (I pegged her as trouble) and begins relationship that ends up distracting him from his mission.  It's not long before one of the students is kidnapped from a volleyball tournament by a masked person.  Bai redeems himself and catches the kidnapper and saving the student.  More questions arise when the kidnappers face is revealed. 
And then...
the story takes a shift when Bai along with the kidnapper who decides to join forces with Bai and the FBI on a mission to North Korea to disable a bomb.
The last half of the book for me wasn't nearly as interesting as the first half.  
The pair saves the day and the story ends on a good note leaving this reader a slightly disappointed.  
I thought the story was good.  The author did a good job of describing the characters.  There were not a lot and it was really easy to keep up with them and the plot during the first half. 
The second half it was a little harder.  
I enjoyed reading Bai Tide and I would welcome the chance to read more books by Ericka Mitchell.

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Readers who enjoy Thrillers and Spy novels will enjoy Bai Tide.

I received a complimentary copy from TLC Tours.
This review will be posted at retail sites where available.
This review will be posted on My Reading Journeys and 
Good Reads.

Happy-Blast From The Past

  

I wanted to write a post today.  I wanted to share with you something meaningful.  Something fun or funny.  But  I didn't have a fun or funny thought in my tired body.  

And then  I had . . . 

Rarely do I get on Face Book.  Tonight I was bored or prompted which ever it doesn't matter because I had the most precious, beautiful message I could imagine. 

You see years ago.  Back in the day we mentored incarcerated 

teens. Teenage girls incarcerated.   We still mentor boys.

Incarcerated for offences like setting a dumpster on fire, stealing video equipment from the school, and many other offences that are shocking.  These kids were in prison.  Not jail.  There is a huge difference.

There were many girls that I will never ever forget. 

 Waaaay back in the day when all this was going on I was cautioned by our supervisors not to give phone numbers etc.  to these youth.  

I/we through caution to the wind and gave our  cell #'s to these struggling youth when they left prison and went home or to a halfway house. 

Through the years I have had many boys and a few girls maintain contact.  

Today I received a message from one of our (my) girls!  She was 

able to go to another state (which rarely happens) to be with 

her family.  

She will be visiting in our area this month and she 

reached out to meet/connect with me.  

I read the FB message and I bawled.  Yes I had tears streaming down my face!

God is so good.  To bring this beautiful young women back into my life is such a blessing.  I cannot express the feelings I have to know that this beautiful woman is so comfortable in her walk with God that she would reach out to me/us. 

If she wasn't she would not cross that line.  Many years ago she 

was introduced to Jesus and she accepted him into her heart and she became a 'new virgin'.  (her words)

She is a grown woman now and I praise God that I was able to be a small part in her life.  

I can't wait to see her again!

Book Review-Edited Out-By E.J. Copperman

About the book (provided by Amazon)

Mystery author Rachel Goldman is getting used to the idea that her fictional creation Duffy Madison has somehow taken flesh-and-blood form and is investigating missing person cases not far from where Rachel lives. Wait. No. She’s not getting used to it at all, and the presence of this real-life Duffy is making her current manuscript—what’s the word?—lousy. 

So she doesn’t want to see Duffy—the living one—at all. To make matters worse, when he shows up at her door and insists on talking to her, it’s about the one thing she doesn’t want to do: Find a missing person. But the man Duffy seeks this time around might be able to solve Rachel’s problem. He might just be the man Duffy was before he became Duffy five years ago. The only problem is she could be letting Duffy lead her into danger yet again…

Entertaining and witty, the second in E.J. Copperman's Mysterious Detective Mystery seriesEdited Out will delight his fans, both new and old.

And I thought 

Rarely have I found that a series requires the books to be read in order. There are some that I realize that I want to go back and read them all from the beginning. They are just that good.

The A Mysterious Detective Mystery Series is one of those.

Don’t stop here and think you must read Written Off before Edited Out.  The author does an excellent job of presenting a story that is captivating and intriguing!  I was not lost from having jumped in with book 2. 

Briefly the story is about mystery author Rachel Goodman who seems to have had her main character Duffy jump off the pages and appear in her life.

The human Duffy appears to have only come into existence five years ago when Rachel started the series. 

I was fascinated and intrigued wondering where the story was going.  I kept wondering is she dreaming this and the book will end with Rachel writing another book. I was taken back a little to the opening scene of Romancing The Stone (a favorite BTW)

While the Rachel and Duffy with the help of  Ben from the county prosecutors office investigate the 5 year old disappearance of another man Damien Mosley that might or might not have been Duffy I scratched my head trying to figure out the plot. 

I wasn’t really moved in the beginning of the book.  I was intrigued trying to figure what was going on … I kind of had to bear with it until chapter 18 when Duffy is arrested for the murder of  Damien Mosley after he see’s the crime scene photo’s and begins investigating the years old mystery.  

Eddited Out was a great introduction for me into the world/works of E.A. Coppermann.

I am drawn enough into the story to ‘want’ to read the previous installment. 

And, the next one.  The reader is left with a little bit of a cliffhanger when the possible sister of Duffy Madison returns Rachel’s phone call. 

So is he real or not?

So Mr. Copperman when can we expect book 3?

I received a complimentary copy from The Review Crew

This review will post on retail sites where available.

This review will post on My Journey Back and Good Reads

Available

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

 More in the series 

Rachel Goldman writes mysteries in which Duffy Madison, consultant to the county prosecutor’s office, helps find missing persons. Rachel is busy working on her next book, when a man calls out of the blue asking for help in a missing persons case. The caller's name? Duffy Madison.

Is this real or has she lost her mind? She doesn't have much time to find out because a serial killer is on the loose, kidnapping and murdering mystery authors. And Rachel may just be the next target.

Full of uncanny intrigue and witty humor, E.J. Copperman's imaginative series debut Written Off is sure to be a new fan favorite for readers of Donna Andrews.

More Than A Soldier-Book Spotlight-Giveaway

Book Details(provided by I Read Book Tours)

Book Details:

Book Title: More Than a Soldier: One Army Ranger's Daring Escape From the Nazis
​Author: D.M. Annechino
Category: Adult Fiction, 316 pages
Genre: Historical Biography, WWII
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release date: April 2017
Tour dates: April 24 to May 19, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 (A few four-letter words and violence associated with war)

About the book 

Feeling a patriotic duty to defend his country after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, seventeen year old, Angelo J. DiMarco, enlists in the U.S. Army. Severely short of frontline fighters, the Army rushes Angelo through Ranger training and sends him to Italy as part of the 1st Ranger Battalion. Their objective: stop the German invasion.

Fighting on the front lines in Italy, the German’s teach Angelo a sobering lesson on life when they capture him during the bloody battle of Cisterna. Against insurmountable odds, Angelo miraculously escapes in a way that stretches the imagination. He survives behind enemy lines for over five months, hiding from the Germans and trying to outmaneuver them. He begs for food, sleeps in barns and suffers from many ailments, including dehydration, malnutrition, malaria and exposure to the elements.

More Than a Soldier is Angelo DiMarco’s powerful story of survival, resilience and courage.

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Bed & Breakfast & Murder-Book Spotlight

Provided by Great Escapes Book Tours

Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Patti Larsen Books (January 28, 2017)
Print Length: 189 pages
ASIN: B01N6W3JKN

Synopsis..

A Poo Poo Kind of Morning

I tried not to look down the mouth of hell staring back at me from inside the glaringly pristine outer ceramic shell of the white throne, my throat catching, stomach doing half flips and a rather impressive rollover routine that would have gotten at least a 9.5 even from the Russian judges. Instead, I forced myself to smile and swallow and remind myself the elbow length yellow rubber gloves grasping the handle of the standard issue plunger were all that stood between me and Pooageddon.

Suck it up, Fee. Big girl panties and adulting and all that.

“At what point,” I waved the dripping plunger, wincing as droplets of yuck flew, “did I think owning a bed and breakfast was going to be glamorous and romantic?”

Fiona Fleming hasn’t lived in Reading, Vermont in over a decade, her escape from small town living leading her to New York City and a life of adventure. An adventure that has left her with no career, an ex who cheated on her and zero plans for the future. Her grandmother’s death grants her a new chance–inheriting Petunia’s, Iris Fleming’s bed and breakfast, seems like the ideal fresh start. But when Fee finds out ownership of the property Iris willed her might be in question, she’s drawn into the seedy underbelly of the cutest town in America after being singled out as the main suspect in a murder.

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Murder Is No Accident by A.H. Gabhart

About the book (provided by 

One body may be an accident. A second body means murder.
The old Chandler place should be empty. The magnificent Victorian mansion is for sale, even if its aged owner Miss Fonda doesn't realize it. But when real estate agent Geraldine Harper enters the house on a sunny October day, she's not alone. Minutes later, there is a body at the bottom of the steep steps leading to the tower room.

Deputy sheriff Michael Keane is called in. At first blush, it looks like the death was a tragic accident, but clues point to foul play. And when a second body is discovered, the race is on to find the culprit . . . before someone else dies.

If you like your small-town America sweet and quirky--with a dash of sinister--you'll love this latest whodunit from deft storyteller A. H. Gabhart.

And I thought

Another great story in Hidden Springs!  I enjoyed meeting Deputy Sheriff Michael, his aunt Malinda high school math teacher, Reese the next door neighbor; Betty Jean the 'Jill' of all trades at the police station.  And Michael's love interest Alex.  I wasn't fond of Alex. Who kept Michael at arms length.

A few new characters joined the party in  Miss Fonda the owner of the mansion, Maggie Green who ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time,Anthony the older boy from the church group who is interested in Maggie.  And a few others

Miss Fonda's nephew  who wants to sell the mansion.  A couple of newcomers to town who've opened new businesses that seemed to have some hidden agenda's.  Are they suspects?

As Michael looks for clue's things get murky and twisty turny.

All while Michael is trying to establish a permanent relationship with Alex who's come back to town because he uncle Reese has a mild stroke.  

Murder Is No Accident is indeed a page turner and gets

my 5 star rating.  

I enjoyed Murder Is No Accident and Murder Comes in The Mail.   I look forward to returning to Hidden Springs. 

I received a complimentary copy from Revell books.

This review will appear on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 

Good Reads and My Journey Back.

Available

Amazon Barnes&Noble

About the series