Review of No Time To Run by J.D. Trafford (2011) (Legal Thriller Featuring Michael Collins, Book 1)
Bottom line: A fun, fast paced story that is well worth reading, especially if you can get it for free. Update: As of July 16, 2013 this book is no longer free. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Michael Collins burned his suits and ties in a beautiful bonfire before leaving New York and taking up residence at […]
Review of Murder on the Cote d’Azur by Susan Kiernan-Lewis (2012) (Maggie Newberry Mysteries)
Bottom line: I didn’t enjoy it very much, but it would be a good book if you were looking for a free book to read on a plane to France. Rating: Not Recommended Blurb: The first in the Maggie Newberry mystery series takes Atlanta Copywriter Maggie Newberry to the south of France and Paris in […]
Review of Timekeeper by Heather Albano (2012)
Bottom line: A very strong sequel to Timepiece, and a very fun read. Rating: Strongly Recommended Blurb: An alternate history adventure featuring time travelers, freedom fighters, Frankenstein’s monster, the Battle of Waterloo, and Napoleon invading Britain by dirigible. — In Timepiece, young adventurer Elizabeth Barton and her suitor William Carrington used a mysterious pocket watch […]
Zombie Twofer
First, let me preface this by saying that I’m not really into zombies. Most zombie movies are reviewed enthusiastically for me by my husband, followed by a “and you should never watch it”. What can I say? I’m a wimp about violence. However, I thoroughly enjoyed these two books, and they continue to make the […]
Review of the Lord Peter & Harriet Vane mysteries by Dorothy Sayers
Bottom line: Great mysteries, great characters, great writing. I cannot recommend these highly enough. Rating: Strongly Recommended Review: Gaudy Night is my all-time favorite book. Not just mystery, but book. The other three books in this series are all very, very good (though I’d rate Have His Carcase a bit below the other three – […]
Review of Divergent by Veronica Roth (2011) (Divergent Book 1)
Bottom line: Reading Divergent is like watching a good action movie: it’s not really about the plot, it’s about the heroes and their journey. Rating: Recommended Blurb: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), […]
Review of Murder in the Marais: An Aimeé Leduc Investigation, Vol. 1 by Cara Black (1998)
Bottom line: There were elements that I didn’t think were done as well as they could have been, but still an entertaining ride for the most part. Rating: Recommended if: You’re interested in a mystery series set in Paris, are looking for a new series to get behind, or you can get it for free […]
Review of The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
Bottom line: Fast paced action, compelling characters, unexpected twists and turns in the plot and an all around great read for all three books. Rating: Strongly Recommended Review: The Hunger Games books are intense. I read all three books in one night, racing from one to the next to see how it was all going […]
Review of Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (1996) (A Song of Fire and Ice Book 1)
Bottom line: This book has graphic sex and violence, and I didn’t enjoy the story or characters enough to balance out the disturbing elements. Rating: Not Recommended Blurb: Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, […]
Review of The Hidden Institute by Brand Gamblin (2011) Free Audiobook
Bottom line: Great story, great characters, great narration, and it’s available as a free audiobook! Rating: Strongly Recommended Blurb: Rising above your station can be deadly. Cliffy is a child born on the streets of a Neo-Victorian world. Witnesses to a murder, he blackmails a nobleman, receiving a unique bribe. In exchange for his silence, […]