Readers' Favorite

October 1, 2016

Books to Enjoy with Your Pumpkin Spice Everything



We are in the month of everything pumpkin spice and nothing goes better with those awesome treats than awesome new books. There are so many great books coming out this month. October 4 looks to be the hot date for new releases. Are any of your favorite authors releasing new books this month? We'll be featuring more new releases this week. so keep your wish lists handy.


cover The Hammer of Thor
Thor's hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon--the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Ragnarok will begin. The Nine Worlds will burn. Unfortunately, the only person who can broker a deal for the hammer's return is the gods' worst enemy, Loki--and the price he wants is very high.

Available October 4
Buy The Hammer of Thor at Amazon






cover The Trespasser
Antoinette Conway, the tough, abrasive detective from The Secret Place, is still on the Murder squad, but only just. She's partnered up with Stephen Moran now, and that's going well - but the rest of her working life isn't. Antoinette doesn't play well with others, and there's a vicious running campaign in the squad to get rid of her. She and Stephen pull a case that at first looks like a slam-dunk lovers' tiff, but gradually they realise there's more going on: someone on their own squad is trying to push them towards the obvious solution, away from nagging questions. They have to work out whether this is just an escalation in the drive to get rid of her - or whether there's something deeper and darker going on.

Available October 4
Buy The Trespasser at Amazon




cover Winter Storm
Gather under the mistletoe for one last round of caroling with the Quinn family in this heartwarming conclusion to Elin Hilderbrand's bestselling Winter Street Trilogy.

Some of the stormy weather of the past few seasons seems to have finally lifted for the Quinns. After a year apart, and an ill-fated affair with the Winter Street Inn's old Santa Claus, Mitzi has returned to rule the roost; Patrick is about to be released from prison; Kevin has a successful new business and is finally ready to tie the knot with Isabelle; and best of all, there's hopeful news about Bart, who has been captured by enemy forces in Afghanistan.

That doesn't mean there aren't a few dark clouds on the horizon. Kelley has recently survived a health scare; Jennifer can't quite shake her addiction to the drugs she used as a crutch while Patrick was in jail; and Ava still can't decide between the two lovers that she's been juggling with limited success. However, if there's one holiday that brings the Quinn family together to give thanks for the good times, it's Christmas. And this year promises to be a celebration unlike any other as the Quinns prepare to host Kevin and Isabelle's wedding at the inn. But as the special day approaches, a historic once-in-a-century blizzard bears down on Nantucket, threatening to keep the Quinns away from the place--and the people--they love most. Before the snow clears, the Quinns will have to survive enough upheavals to send anyone running for the spiked eggnog, in this touching novel that proves that when the holidays roll around, you can always go home again.

Available October 4
Buy Winter Storm at Amazon


cover Cruel Beautiful World
Set in the early 1970s against the specter of the Manson girls, when the peace and love movement begins to turn ugly, this is the story of a runaway teenager's disappearance and her sister's quest to discover the truth.

Caroline Leavitt is at her mesmerizing best in this haunting, nuanced portrait of love, sisters, and the impossible legacy of family.

It's 1969, and sixteen-year-old Lucy is about to run away with a much older man to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have vicious repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte. As Lucy's default caretaker for most of their lives, Charlotte's youth has been marked by the burden of responsibility, but never more so than when Lucy's dream of a rural paradise turns into nightmare.

With gorgeous prose and indelible characters, Cruel Beautiful World examines the intricate, infinitesimal distance between seduction and love, loyalty and duty, and what happens when you're responsible for things you can't fix.

Available October 4
Buy Cruel Beautiful World at Amazon


cover It Must Be Christmas
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when love is in the cold and frosty air—and desire reaches the boiling point. . .

Hot Toy
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Crusie comes a hilarious, sexy story about a determined shopper who grabs the last action figure off the shelf, only to find herself plunged into the arms of a sexy secret agent. Mayhem under the mistletoe ensues. Business as usual this Christmas season…right?

Christmas with the Billionaire Rancher
Nate wants to stay away from all the women who want his money in Mandy Baxter’s story set deep in the heart of Texas. But when gorgeous do-gooder Chloe Benson comes knocking at his door—in search of funds for her charity—Nate can’t ignore the passion he feels for her. Maybe love is priceless after all?

Christmas at Seashell Cottage
’Tis the season in Jewell Cove when local doctor Charlie Yang finds her quiet, steady life disrupted by both an abandoned baby in the nativity manger and ex-SEAL Dave Ricker. Are these turn of events too good to be true? Or is Christmas working its magic—for real— Donna Alward’s heartwarming holiday story?

Available October 4
Buy It Must Be Christmas at Amazon


cover Ashes
Return to the American Revolution in this blistering conclusion to the trilogy that began with the bestselling National Book Award Finalist Chains and continued with Forge, which The New York Times called “a return not only to the colonial era but to historical accuracy.”

Return to the American Revolution in this blistering conclusion to the trilogy that began with the bestselling National Book Award Finalist Chains and continued with Forge, which The New York Times called “a return not only to the colonial era but to historical accuracy.”

As the Revolutionary War rages on, Isabel and Curzon have narrowly escaped Valley Forge—but their relief is short-lived. Before long they are reported as runaways, and the awful Bellingham is determined to track them down. With purpose and faith, Isabel and Curzon march on, fiercely determined to find Isabel’s little sister Ruth, who is enslaved in a Southern state—where bounty hunters are thick as flies.

Heroism and heartbreak pave their path, but Isabel and Curzon won’t stop until they reach Ruth, and then freedom, in this grand finale to the acclaimed Seeds of America trilogy from Laurie Halse Anderson.

Available October 4
Buy Ashes at Amazon


cover Twelve Days of Christmas
Continuing in a festive annual tradition, #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber returns with a new original holiday novel full of romance and cheer—and the magical prospect of finding love in the most unexpected places.

Friendly and bubbly, Julia Padden likes nearly everyone, but her standoffish neighbor, Cain Maddox, presents a particular challenge. No matter how hard she’s tried to be nice, Cain rudely rebuffs her at every turn, preferring to keep to himself. But when Julia catches Cain stealing her newspaper from the lobby of their apartment building, that’s the last straw. She’s going to break through Cain’s Scrooge-like exterior the only way she knows how: by killing him with kindness.

To track her progress, Julia starts a blog called The Twelve Days of Christmas. Her first attempts to humanize Cain are far from successful. Julia brings him homemade Christmas treats and the disagreeable grinch won’t even accept them. Meanwhile, Julie’s blog becomes an online sensation, as an astonishing number of people start following her adventures. Julia continues to find ways to express kindness and, little by little, chips away at Cain’s gruff façade to reveal the caring man underneath. Unbelievably, Julia feels herself falling for Cain—and she suspects that he may be falling for her as well. But as the popularity of her blog continues to grow, Julia must decide if telling Cain the truth about having chronicled their relationship to the rest of the world is worth risking their chance at love.

Available October 4
Buy Twelve Days of Christmas at Amazon


cover Missing
When the elderly mother of Wyoming police chief John Graham goes missing, he travels to Chicago and pairs up with a savvy female cop to investigate. They discover her disappearance is no accident, and a race against the clock begins.

Available October 4
Buy Missing at Amazon











cover Maybe Tomorrow
Zoe Dawson returns to Laurel Falls, Montana, where big sky meets true love in Maybe Tomorrow, as a jaded New Yorker and a small-town mayor teach each other that the good things in life are meant to be savored.

After growing up dirt poor, Greg Chambers relishes his job as the CEO of a high-powered marketing agency. He couldn’t imagine leaving New York for Laurel Falls, a town so rundown he can practically see the tumbleweeds. But while there to spearhead a new tourism campaign, Greg admits that there’s one bright spot: the widowed mayor whose fighting spirit and exquisite good looks have him struggling to keep things professional.

Trinity Gill is doing everything in her power to revitalize her dazzling but declining town—even while mourning her husband and trying to keep her family together. The last thing she needs is a distraction like Greg, a fast-talking city slicker who works hard and plays harder. So why does her body long for his touch? And why can’t she get his open smile and gleaming eyes off her mind?

Greg has been running on empty for years, but when he finally takes the time to smell the roses, he makes a startling realization: He can be the one to heal Trinity’s wounded heart. And if Trinity would face her deepest fears, maybe tomorrow could be the start of a whole new beginning—together.

Available October 11
Buy Maybe Tomorrow at Amazon


cover The Boy Is Back
From New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot comes the sweetly humorous story of a man who has to face his past in order to find his future.

Sometimes to move forward, you have to go back…

One post. That’s all it took to destroy the care free, glamorous life of pro golfer Reed Stewart. One tiny post on the Internet.

Then again, it’s not like Reed’s been winning many tournaments lately, and his uncle isn’t the only one who says it’s because of the unfinished business he left behind back home in Bloomville, Indiana—namely Reed’s father, the Honorable Judge Richard P. Stewart, and the only girl Reed ever loved, Becky Flowers.

But Reed hasn’t spoken to either his father or Becky in over a decade.

Until that post on the Internet. Suddenly, Reed’s family has become a national laughingstock, his publicist won’t stop calling, his siblings are begging for help, and Reed realizes he has no other choice: He’s got to go home to face his past . . . the Judge and the girl he left behind.

Becky’s worked hard to build her successful senior relocation business, but she’s worked even harder to forget Reed Stewart ever existed—which hasn’t been easy, considering he’s their hometown’s golden boy, and all anyone ever talks about. It was fine while they were thousands of miles apart, but now he’s back in Bloomville. She has absolutely no intention of seeing him—until his family hires her to help save his parents.

Now Reed and Becky can’t avoid one another…or the memories of that one fateful night.

Can the quirky residents of Bloomville bring these two young people back together, or will Reed and Becky continue to allow their pasts to deny them the future they deserve?

This warm, thought-provoking book, told entirely in texts, emails, and journal entries, is as much about the enduring bond of families as it is about second chances at love, and will delight as much as it entertains.

Available October 18
Buy The Boy Is Back at Amazon


cover Broken Bits
Kit Foster thought a week in the woods would be the perfect way to recover from the family scandal that shattered her world. No reporters, no gossip and no drama. Then a helicopter dumps an injured man in her path.

Mick Harris is having a bad day. It was bad enough that he botched an op, but then he awakes beaten and left for dead in the middle of a forest. He is lucky to be alive, but now he is at the mercy of Kit- the only person who knows the route home.

During the time it takes to hike back to civilization, Kit and Mick become friends and explore their growing attraction. While the way out is hampered by bad memories and an assassin, they manage to grow close enough to attempt a real relationship.

However, that bliss is short-lived when Mick’s job again threatens Kit’s life and destroys their happiness. Can a second chance bring them back together?

Available October 18
Buy Broken Bits at Amazon





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September 30, 2016

Featured Book: Sixth Prime by Dan O'Brien

cover Sixth Prime
2.3.5.7.11.13.

A war brews as a galaxy struggles to maintain a peace treaty signed in haste. The Commonwealth boasts sprawling cities built upon slums. The Sovereignty has placed the yoke of industry upon its citizens. Sixteen men and women are connected in a way they cannot yet understand. A murder of a prominent artist begins a chain of events that will ultimately determine the fate of the universe.

Only thirteen will remain.

In the end, there can be only one Prime.

Are you a Prime?



one of the best science-fiction novels I've read this year ~ Heena Rathore P.

Mystery, intrigue and some intellectually challenging twists ~ Grady Harp

opens up the read not only to a great story, but to an entirely different world ~ Lilly's Book World

Start reading:



Buy Sixth Prime at Amazon




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Review: A Question of Mercy by Elizabeth Cox

by Susan Roberts

cover A Question of Mercy
Too rarely a book comes along that totally pulls you into its pages to the point that it's hard to distinguish the story in the book from your real life. A Question of Mercy is one of those special books. I walked along North Carolina roads with Jess and I mourned Adam's death with her. I am still thinking about these characters days after I read the last page and I know that this will be one of those books that I remember for a long time.

When Jess's father remarries, his new wife brings her son into their home. Adam is mentally disabled and as his body matures, he starts getting into trouble because he is different. The people in town are complaining to the police about him and want him to stay away from their children.  His mother feels that the only place he can live safely is in a state hospital where the doctors plan to lobotomize and castrate him. The book takes place in the early 1950s and this was still the approved method to control the mentally challenged in North Carolina. When  Jess returns from college and becomes aware of the plans she is totally opposed because she knows the procedure will cause Adam to lose what makes him Adam. After Adam's death, Jess runs away from home looking for peace and acceptance.  She walks and hitchhikes to a boarding house in Alabama where a friend of her deceased mother lives.  As she struggles to find food to eat and a place to sleep, she is also worrying about her boyfriend who is a soldier in the Korean War.

The novel isn't just about love and family - it's about how society cares for its weakest members and how families form not just by birth but also out of love and concern for each other.

This is a powerful novel and one that definitely needs to be read and talked about. If I could, I would give it more than five stars!

Buy A Question of Mercy at Amazon

Susan Roberts, reviewer. Susan grew up in the Detroit area but after deciding that city life wasn't for her she moved to North Carolina after college. She and her husband have several acres of land and they enjoy gardening and canning vegetables in the summer. They travel extensively. Susan reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook or Twitter.

Book info:
available formats: ebook and print (224 pages)
published: October 2014 by Story River Books
ISBN13: 978-1611177220
genres: literary fiction
a free book was provided by the publisher for this review




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September 29, 2016

A Love of Witches

by Elisa Hordon



Hocus Pocus, Abracadabra, Expelliarmus...from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and beyond a mystical world of witches, fantasy and wonder.

My life has always been me with my head in a book, and yes, most of the time those books involve fantasy, supernatural and mysterious wonder, make believe worlds full of witches, dragons and more.

Now books with witches are what I'm focusing on here even though I love everything supernatural, fantasy, and sci- fi, trying to write about all of that in one blog post would take forever. I have read a lot of books about witches, so if I miss some it's generally not because I have not read them but because I have read so many I sometimes forget a few, so please list more witchy books in the comments just in case there are some I have not read yet. I am always interested in more books.

cover Wizard of OzIt all started with the Wizard of Oz; those books were a jump start into my own world of fantasy. Next came Narnia - that magical wonderful world where you step through a wardrobe and become a king or queen of a beautiful mystical world. It was followed by Roald Dahl's The Witches, Shakespeare's Macbeth, Homer's Odyssey where Circe the Greek Goddess of magic lures Odysseus away from his quest. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmerman Bradly about Arthurian times with Merlin and Morgan LeFay, the Beauchamp witches from The Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz, Bonnie Bennett from The Vampire Diaries, Millie and Pamela from Shannon Mayer's Rylee Adamson series, and The Blood Borne series by Denise Grover Swank and Shannon Mayer: all of these magical books paved my love of everything witchy and some of them have also been made into awesome movies and TV shows to bring the magic even more to life.

Cozy Mystery Witches

More recently I have found a love of cozy mystery books that center around witches, some of these include funny witch families and even whole magical towns, some where magic is known and practiced openly and some where it is used in secret. My all time favorite is Amanda M Lee's Wicked Witches of the Midwest, This series centers around a fictional town of Hemlock Cove and the hilarious Winchester Witches, namely the youngest generation Bay, Thistle and Clover Winchester and the antics they get up to around town helping solve murder and mysteries with their special gifts and sarcastic humor and, of course, their Aunty Tillie. No mention of this series is complete without Aunty Tillie.

Mindy Klasky writes the Jane Maddison series. Jane is new to the craft, and her stories are wonderfully funny to read as Jane learns her way around her new magical world.

The Magic and Mixology series by Gina LaManna is a delightful read featuring a witch, a blood intolerant vampire and a shifter who has trouble shifting and there is the rest of Lily Locke's family. This series is set on a magical island and you are transported to this magical island as you read.

Jollie Wilkins series by H.P Mallory is a great magical adventure, The Easy Bake Coven series by Liz Schulte is highly entertaining. Bailey Cates's Magical Bakery series is a good fun read.

Rose Pressey writes a lot of different series: some are supernatural, some are just great mysteries. Her Halloween Laveau series is my favorite and not just because it centers around witches and is set in my favorite place, New Orleans, but it is a really funny series with great characters.

cover Witch is When It All BeganAn all-time favorite author of mine is Deanna Chase. I am a huge fan of everything she writes, but my first love will always be her Jade Calhoun series. Jade is just awesome; she kicks butt on a regular basis. Jade has style and her own flare, and she has awesome friends as well.

Camilla Chafer wrote the Stella Mayweather series. There are 5 awesome books in this magical series and each one is more awesome than the next.

Leighann Dobbs's Blackmore Sisters series about 4 sisters who work together as a family to solve magical mysteries is a great cozy favorite of mine. Dakota Kassidy's Witchless in Seattle series is just plain hilarious: Stevie is awesome.

Janet Evanovich is known for her hilarious Stephanie Plum series, but my favorite series of hers is Lizzy and Deisel. This series is pure magical fun from start to finish; each book is just awesome.

Larsen Quick and her Mayhem Sisters series is highly enjoyable in a supernatural magical way. J,A Whiting writes the Sweet Cove Mysteries which I love not just for the magical mystery side but the recipes included in this series are just wonderful. Adele Abbott's Witch P.I series is laugh out loud funny and a great blend of supernatural and normal worlds.

Supernatural Mysteries

cover Witches AnonymousMoving away from the cozy mysteries and into more full-on supernatural mysteries...

Misty Evans writes amazing romantic suspense thrillers but she also writes the amazing Witches Anonymous series. Amy Atwood is trying to not use magic. The problem is she has a penchant for getting into magical trouble, and it probably is not a good thing that Lucifer himself is her boyfriend or maybe ex-boyfriend. This series is full of magical hijinks.

I can't talk about witches without mentioning Harry Potter. I mean, seriously, if we are talking awesome magical books this series has to be right up there for fantastical, magical adventure. I cannot tell how many times I have read these books, listened to the audio books and watched the movies. Harry Potter really is the ultimate in witchy books about magical, mysterious people and places.

Witches in Movies

Witches on the big screen generally come from the books I've read. The Wizard of Oz is always a classic movie. Practical Magic, what can I say, this is one time when I prefered the movie to the book. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Diane Weist and Stockard Channing are all just amazing. Hocus Pocus is a funny witchy comedy with the always brilliant Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathi Najimny. Oh and The Witches of Eastwick with Cher, Michelle Pfifer, Susan Sarandon and Jack Nicolson, Harry Potter is an awesome set of movies, and even though the books were way better, I still enjoyed the movies. The Craft is an interesting 90's take on witchcraft.

Witches on TV

Now we move into TV and my favourite all time TV show: Charmed. Three sisters who learn they are witches with magical powers and how they deal with deamons on a daily basis, this series also has books availiable but they came after the TV show. There is also a graphic novel collection that took off where the show ended after 8 successful seasons. Bewitched, now there was a classic TV show about witches, so funny and awesome at the same time. Sabrina the Teenage Witch based on the character from the Archie comics.

These are just some of my favourites featuring witches on the screen as well as in books.


A few of my favourite quotes:

"A Heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." ~ The Wizard of Oz

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia." ~ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

"Stars hide your fires, let not light see your deep dark desires." ~ Macbeth

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." ~ Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban


Song of the witches from Macbeth:

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.


Elisa Hordon, reviewerElisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

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September 28, 2016

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - A Review

by Kathleen Barker

How do you choose a book to read?  Many of my friends laugh and tell me they simply pick up the next one in their "to-read" pile or list.  While some ask trusted friends for recommendations, many of us simply hit the "order" button when we read a post or a brilliant review.  While I have my own waiting stack, I recently chose a story because of the awards it had won and the nearly 25 thousand reviews on Amazon, which were overwhelmingly positive.  Indeed, many reviewers were rapturous.

The awards for Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See" are substantial:  2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award, and a New York Times bestseller.  Despite all of these accolades, there are no guarantees that you will love it. And, let's face it, World War II stories can be weighty and depressing.  Can a story be both depressing and uplifting when it deals with the destruction of so many human beings?  In this case, I only wish that I had more than two thumbs to point upward.
Doerr's novel juxtaposes the story of a six-year-old French girl Marie-Laure who has gone blind with that of Wener, a German orphan with a near-genius understanding of science (particularly electrical engineering)).  For many chapters, we are not sure what one character has to do with the other as both lives are devastated by the Nazi war machine.  Marie-Laure's father is the curator of a museum, and he struggles to protect both his beloved daughter as well as a famous diamond known as the Sea of Flames from Hitler's destructive acquisition.  Werner is swallowed by the Hitler Youth organization as soon as he is old enough.  His genius is recognized and put to brutal use to seek out and destroy the source of broadcasts by the French Resistance.  

As the two characters move slowly to the point where their paths cross, Doerr's prose weaves a stunningly intricate tapestry of metaphor.  His poetic descriptions of feelings, thoughts and surroundings are a literary treasure.  Unlike many novels where we are carried on a juggernaut of action and plot to their inevitable conclusion, this is a story to read slowly - more than once, even - in order to savor its richness.  The author weaves the music of "Clair de Lune", Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the myth of a priceless diamond whose owner will purportedly live forever as long as he possesses it.  The story exudes richness in the midst of war's devastation.

Read it.  Treasure it.  It will make you an instant fan of Anthony Doerr's extraordinary talent.

Buy All the Light We Cannot See at Amazon

Kathleen Barker, features writer. Kathleen was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. A graduate of Blessed Sacrament, the Institute of Notre Dame and Towson University, she spent twenty years as the much-traveled wife of a Navy pilot and has three children. While working for a Fortune 500 insurance company in New Orleans, she wrote feature and human interest articles for their magazine and received the Field Reporter of the Year award. After Hurricane Katrina, she returned to her beloved state of Maryland where she started work on "The Charm City Chronicles". All four volumes, "Ednor Scardens", "The Body War", "The Hurting Year", and "On Gabriel's Wings" are available in Amazon's Kindle store.



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September 27, 2016

Book Spotlight: Decoherence by Liana Brooks

cover Decoherence
The thrilling, time-bending conclusion to the Time & Shadow series!

Samantha Rose and Linsey MacKenzie have established an idyllic life of married bliss in Australia, away from the Commonwealth Bureau of Investigation, away from mysterious corpses, and—most of all—away from Dr. Emir’s multiverse machine.

But Sam is a detective at heart, and even on the other side of the world, she can’t help wonder if a series of unsolved killings she reads about are related—not just to each other, but to the only unsolved case of her short career.

She knows Jane Doe’s true name, but Sam never discovered who killed the woman found in an empty Alabama field in spring of 2069. She doesn’t even know which version of herself she buried under a plain headstone.

When Mac suddenly disappears, Sam realizes she is going to once more be caught up in a silent war she still doesn’t fully understand. Every step she takes to save Mac puts the world she knows at risk, and moves her one step closer to becoming the girl in the grave.


Another amazing science-fiction police procedural ~ Erin Penn

Nice finish to the series ~ Glinda Harrison


Start reading:


Buy Decoherence at Amazon



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Review: Hitwoman Under Pressure by JB Lynn

by Donna Huber

cover Hitwoman Under Pressure
You just know it's going to be a bad day when you can't get out of the loony bin.
My name is Maggie Lee, and while I admit there are times that I probably belong in a mental institution, this wasn't one of them. I'd come to visit my mother, to as her about a brother I'd never known existed and now I was trapped.











Wow! I can't believe this is book 15 in this series. I'm not sure I have stuck with a series this long since the Babysitters Club. But I can tell you I would probably read another 15 books. I love Maggie and the whole crazy crew (aka her family, friends, and pets).

While I may love to read another 15 books in the Hitwoman series, as I have said in my last few reviews I think it is coming to an end. Many of the mysteries we encountered in the first few books are being solved. More importantly though is the fact that Maggie is growing up. Yes, I know she has always been an adult, but she had some maturing to do and definitely needed to discover who she really is. I noticed it two or three books back, but in Hitwoman Under Pressure other characters are noticing and voicing it to Maggie. Hopefully, Maggie will believe it

We are used to Maggie being in danger, but this story line placed everyone in danger at some point it seemed like. Maggie is facing her deadliest mark in Redcoat.

I know a lot of people don't want to start a series that is 15 books in (that's why I've not read Game of Thrones or Poldark), but these books are quick reads. I can read them in a day, or at least two or three if I'm really busy. So don't let the number 15 be a stumbling block to joining this fun adventure.

Buy Hitwoman Under Pressure at Amazon


Donna Huber, founder & publisher. Donna is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.


Book info:
available formats: ebook (230 pages)
published: June 2016
genres: cozy mystery
source: purchased




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September 26, 2016

Don't Look...Just Jump by Leslie Sinyard #MondayBlogs

cover Don't Look Just Jump
From small-town Louisiana, around the world, and back to Athens, Georgia, journey with Olive Hammons Weathersby and her beloved husband, A.B., a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia for over 20 years. The first civilian woman to parachute from a crashing military plane, Olive would go on to face many additional challenges, and like many members of the Greatest Generation, she would do so with grace and gratitude.
~Amazon


About the author:
Leslie Sinyard has lived in Athens, Georgia for 27 years and, like A.B. and Olive, is a tried and true Georgia Bulldog, having graduated from the University of Georgia in 1983 with a degree in International Business and Finance. She is married to Robert and has three adult children who are grateful to have considered Olive Weathersby their Athens grandmother.

Don't Look...Just Jump is Sinyard's debut book.



Start reading:


Buy Don't Look...Don't Jump at Amazon




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Review: Echoes of Family by Barbara Claypole White #MondayBlogs

by Susan Roberts

"You're never truly lost if someone cares enough to come find you. Lost is waiting to be found."

Echoes of Family by Barbara Claypole White
I have read all of Barbara Claypole White's novels and enjoyed them. But Echoes of Family is the first book that I've read in a long time that I wanted to start reading again as soon as I read the last page. Trust me - it's that fantastic.

Marianne, the main character, is manic depressive and is spiraling out of control.  She decides to return to England - where she grew up and where her past secrets are long buried. She feels that if she confronts her past, it may help her future. The first person she meets in the small town she grew up in is Gabriel, her first love. He is now the minister at the local church. She left her husband and daughter behind in North Carolina while she goes to face her demons. While in England, she creates chaos for Gabriel who thought that he wanted and needed to forget her. As her life spirals out of control, she tries to find answers in her past.

Marianne is a wonderful and flawed character. She is well aware of her limitations and her past suicide attempts and her illness. One of my favorite scenes with her was at the rectory in England when she was at the height of her mania. It is so well written, that I found myself reading faster and faster to keep up with her.

As in previous books Barbara Claypole White writes about mental illness in an open and direct manner. There is so much discrimination against people with mental illness. She succeeds in making her characters so real - trying our best to have a happy life.

This is a wonderful story of family and love. Life isn't about the family that you are born into. Life is about the family that you create.

Mark your calendars for the September 27 release of this fantastic book.

Buy Echoes of Family at Amazon

Susan Roberts, reviewer. Susan grew up in the Detroit area but after deciding that city life wasn't for her she moved to North Carolina after college. She and her husband have several acres of land and they enjoy gardening and canning vegetables in the summer. They travel extensively. Susan reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook or Twitter


Review of Echoes of Family
Book info: 
available formats: ebook, audiobook, and print (397 pages)
published: September 2016 
ISBN13: 9781503938137
genres: contemporary fiction, mental health
a free ebook was provided for this review



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September 25, 2016

Celebrate National Comic Book Day



It is National Comic Book Day, not to be confused with Free Comic Book Day, which was in May. Comics got their start in 1837 when Obadiah Oldbuck appeared in a series of drawing boxes with text. At the time it was really nothing more than an author's doodling, but it quickly found popularity in the United States and France. While Obadiah Oldbuck was a trip comic, the first comic book appeared in 1933 - Famous Funnies. National Comic Book Day was created to encourage people to try out this unique story-telling method as well as give life-long fans a chance to celebrate their favorite drawn stories.

Not sure what to pick up? Here are this month's top five new comic and graphic novel releases.


cover Ghosts

Catrina and her family are moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister, Maya, is sick. Cat isn't happy about leaving her friends for Bahía de la Luna, but Maya has cystic fibrosis and will benefit from the cool, salty air that blows in from the sea. As the girls explore their new home, a neighbor lets them in on a secret: There are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna. Maya is determined to meet one, but Cat wants nothing to do with them. As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister's sake - and her own.

Buy Ghosts at Amazon


cover Trinity

“BETTER TOGETHER” part 1! Together again for the first time! Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The core of the World's Greatest Heroes…but with a new Man of Steel, the bonds these three share will be tested and redefined by super-star writer/artist Francis Manapul. In this premiere issue, see the trio travel from Metropolis to Gotham City and beyond to learn what forces launched their heroic careers. But how will this journey of discovery lead them to a new threat?

Buy Trinity at Amazon


cover Injustice Gods Among Us

This is it: the final year of INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, leading into the storyline of the hit videogame! Having defeated the Green Lantern Corps, the forces of magic, and now the gods themselves, the Superman's totalitarian regime seems to have eliminated all threats. Yet uneasy lies the crown on the head of the Man of Steel. Still obsessed with the outlaw Batman and worried about having enough troops to police his world, The Man of Steel begins to recruit some of Earth's deadliest villains to his side. Does the Dark Knight have any chance of ending the Man of Steel's rule?

Buy Injustice: Gods Amoung Us Year Five at Amazon


cover Civil War II 5

The devastating fallout from the first half of this event is enormous and being felt in every corner of the Marvel Universe. The truth about Ulysses' future-seeing power is revealed and it is a game changer. Sides are irrevocably drawn and the gauntlet is thrown for the biggest battle in Marvel Universe history. And that's just the stuff we can tell you. All this, and the story goes galactic!

Buy Civil War II #5 at Amazon


cover The Walking Dead vol 26

After being betrayed by members of his own community, Rick Grimes charts a new course and marshals his forces against the Whisperers.

Buy The Walking Dead vol. 26 at Amazon


What are you reading to celebrate National Comic Book Day?


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