Christmas in Time

by: admin - Filed under: Romance

I love Christmas stories.  I also love the Titanic.  So, buying the eBook Christmas in Time was almost a no-brainer for me.  The moment I found it, I downloaded it, and started reading…

[easyazon-image-link asin="B005R21Z6Y" alt="Christmas in Time" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BUyXLbVKL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" width="107" height="160"]Although I cannot tell you that the book is new or unique, it did keep my attention…unfortunately, however, anyone who has seen the 1997 movie, Titanic, with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, will recognize the take-off on the theme, the plot, and even the beginning and ending of the story. 

While Christmas in Time tries to be another Titanic tale, there were a couple of instances where the author took too much liberty with the actual events, leaving this Titanic fan thinking, “it didn’t happen that way.” 

Christmas in Time is worth reading for free (which it is), especially for diehard romance readers looking for a little light reading over the holidays, but it definitely wasn’t a book that held my rapt attention.

With the 100th year anniversary of the sinking of Titanic approaching, it’s inevitable that more and more Titanic stories will crop up over the next few months, and each of them will attempt to create a new story upon the ill-fated luxury liner…will any of them succeed?  I have no idea, but I will definitely be reading them all.

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The Mill River Recluse

by: admin - Filed under: Interesting Reads

One of the best things about owning a Kindle Fire is the selection of ebooks available for download…and some of the most interesting books aren’t necessarily those on the bestseller lists. 

When I downloaded The Mill River Recluse, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  The author, Darcie Chan, is not one of the most well known artists, still the description interested me, so I bought the book.

[easyazon-image-link asin="B0051PRFLQ" alt="The Mill River Recluse" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414vP0uvE2L.jpg" align="left" width="341" height="500"]The Mill River Recluse is a different sort of book…it is an unusual combination of past, present, and even future events that is engaging, heartbreaking, and yet heartwarming all at the same time. 

The main character, of course, is Mary, an elderly recluse that lives in a marble mansion at the top of the hill overlooking a small town.  And, Mary’s story is actually the central plotline for the entire book.  It in itself is a heartwrenching tale of a young woman who is wooed by a handsome, wealthy young man whom she ultimately loves and loses in such a way that it sets her up to become the Mill River Recluse…but the subplots surrounding her story are equally engaging.  There’s a bit of romance, a bit of mystery, and a bit of suspense, all bound into one story that spans more than 60 years.

Although you would think a book with such a long timespan might drag in parts, the author does an excellent job of telling enough of the events that you’re drawn in and can get lost in the story, but not so much that you find yourself skimming unnecessary paragraphs to move on to the next part of the story. 

For one of the lower priced books in the Kindle Store, I definitely got my money’s worth from The Mill River Recluse.

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A Haunting at Hensley Hall

by: admin - Filed under: Horror

With Halloween just around the corner, ghost stories make fantastic reads, and A Haunting at Hensley Hall is exactly the kind of ghost story that fits the holiday.

[easyazon-image-link asin="B005CKI3LQ" alt="A Haunting at Hensley Hall (A Ravynne Sisters Paranormal Mystery)" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ryJ-bbilL.jpg" align="left" width="307" height="500"]The story is set in an old mansion that two sisters win in an unusual contest held by a small town…the previous owners committed suicide, or so it seems, and there were no heirs, so the mansion is essentially “raffled off” to pay the back taxes that have accumulated on the property.

Of course, the mansion has a dark history, and is in a serious state of disrepair, but conveniently the sisters have the money to begin fixing it up to become a bed and breakfast. Along the way, the sisters begin to discover not only the ghosts, but the reasons for their presence, and the mystery deepens…

Mix in the forty year old disappearances of one of the previous occupants, and several of her teen aged friends…and you’ve got enough suspense in parts of the book to keep you reading well into the night!

If you’re a fan of semi-gothic, lighter horror stories, you’ll find yourself drawn into Hensley Hall along with Charlie, Meg, and the curious cast of characters they meet along the way, just as I was.

Even better, A Haunting at Hensley Hall is available in the Kindle store for just $.99, and I have to say, it’s money well spent!

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Peanie: Footsteps of the Father

by: admin - Filed under: Apocalypse Fiction, Interesting Reads

If you like apacolypse fiction, which I do, then you’ll find Peanie: Footsteps of the Father an interesting read.  Unlike other popular books on the subject, the electromagnetic pulse doesn’t immediately wipe out the entire country, thereby leaving Peanie, the main character, time to gather his family and head towards the family “farm”, a 2400 acre spread of land that was primarily used for hunting. 

At the “farm,” Peanie teaches his grown children and grandchildren the “old ways” of doing things, educating them in the ways of survival in a post electricity world.  Although he is, at times, a gruff old man, who never seemed to really care for his children, the story inevitably unfolds so that his true love for family and friends comes through. 

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Prices are accurate as of less than 12 hours ago. Product prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.

Note:  This book is available only in Kindle format.

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A Turn in the Road

by: admin - Filed under: Interesting Reads, Romance
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The other day, I downloaded one of Debbie Macomber’s newest books, A Turn in the Road, and even though I have been a fan of her Cedar Cove series for years, this book is a refreshing change from the normal books that she writes. 

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Prices are accurate as of less than 12 hours ago. Product prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.
The book’s main character, Bethanne, is a divorced forty-something mother, who sets out cross country with her former mother-in-law, and twenty-ish daughter, to attend the mother-in-law’s 50 year class reunion.  Along the way, the threesome find adventure at every turn, from skinny dipping in a cold lake to the casinos in Vegas, all the way to Florida for the reunion. 

A Turn in the Road is a journey filled with fun, emotion, and life changing experiences for all three women…one that I am thoroughly enjoying, and that I am sure you will too!

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Kindle Samples

by: admin - Filed under: Amazon Kindle, eReader News & Updates, Interesting Reads

How many times have you bought a book that looked or sounded good, only to find that you had to “wade” through the book because you didn’t like the author’s style of writing, or because the storyline was not the way that it sounded on the cover?  Or even because you just didn’t like the pace or tone of the story?

Price Disclaimer
Prices are accurate as of less than 12 hours ago. Product prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.
One of the best things that comes with your Amazon Kindle and the access to the Kindle store is the ability to download samples of nearly all the books!  I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I find a new author, or hear about a new book, that intrigues me, I like to actually look at the book before I buy it.  With my Kindle, I can not only look inside the book, but I can also download the first chapter or two and actually read a portion of the book before I buy it.

For me, this especially works well when I find a new author that I am interested in reading, but I’m just not sure yet that I will like the author’s writing style, or even the storyline itself.  If I do, then I buy the book, if not…then I haven’t wasted my money!

After all, it’s true that you can’t judge a book by what’s written on the cover!

Visit the Kindle store now to see how you can sample ALL your books before you buy ‘em.

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Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives

by: admin - Filed under: Contemporary Drama, Interesting Reads

Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army WivesAs a big fan of the Lifetime series “Army Wives,” I bought  Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives because the idea for the series was supposedly based on characters within the book, and to a certain extent, it is.  Fortunately for those of us who like the series, however, the events in the series do not necessarily parallel those in the book…

Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives has an almost documentary feel to it, and you don’t find yourself as drawn into the characters, I think perhaps because, in the writer’s attempt to share so many lives, you loose the intimacy and the sheer depth of hearing one or perhaps two stories.  

The plot is also somewhat veiled and confusing…on the one hand, the writer is presenting a series of murders at the military installation, and on the other, details of the lives of four army wives, only one of which is related to the murders.  

With respect to the television series, the Holdens, the Sherwoods, the LeBlancs, and the Morans are clearly recognizable, as are some of the events from the book carried into the plotline of the hit television series, however, if you’re a fan of the series, the book is definitely not a must read.  It’s more a nice diversion… on a scale of one to ten, this one’s a seven.

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1022 Evergreen Place

by: admin - Filed under: Interesting Reads, Romance

1022 Evergreen Place, Cedar Cove Series, Debbie MacomberIf you’re a big fan of the Cedar Cove series of books by Debbie Macomber, you’ll undoubtedly like the latest installment in the series, but to be brutually honest, you may not love it.   

The major storyline in 1022 Evergreen Place centers on the relationship between Mary Jo Wyse and Mack MacAfee, which begun at Christmas when Mack delivered Mary Jo’s child.  Now living side by side in a duplex, Mary Jo finds letters and a diary from a World War II couple, and how Mack and Mary Jo attempt to track the couple down.

There are also a couple of minor plotlines going with other characters that will obviously develop into other installments in the series, and Ms. Macomber catches the reader up on the original characters, as well. 

Unfortunately, as an avid Cedar Cove series fan, this book was a bit of a disappointment for me.  The characterization of Mack and Mary Jo was shallower than in previous books, and the story itself was somewhat weak, and poorly detailed, in my opinion. 

However, if you are a Cedar Cove series reader, you will not want to miss this installment, even though you may have to struggle, at times, to get through it.   While I love the Cedar Cove series, and Debbie Macomber’s books, the mass production of this series (and the next two books have already been announced) appears to be reducing the overall quality of the individual books themselves.  I personally would much rather wait a full year to read a can’t put it down installment in the series than to read two mediocre installments per year. (And that doesn’t include the annual Christmas in Cedar Cove book!)

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Sing You Home

by: admin - Filed under: Contemporary Drama, Interesting Reads

Jodi Picoult Sing You Home

Jodi Picoult’s newest book, Sing You Home, is undoubtedly one of her most riveting novels, and addresses so many issues with a finesse that will grab you and keep you hanging on her every word until the very last pages…the demise of marriage, infertility, religion, homosexuality, and what ultimately makes up a family. 

Max, Zoe, Vanessa…each tells the story from a different point of view…  so realistically that you’ll find yourself unable to “choose a side” in this unbelievably honest portrayal of a very timely situation.

Although I found the character of Max a little too simple minded at times, he came across as an attractive, sensitive man with grit and honesty.  I could easily see and hear and understand his plight, just as I could easily hear and understand the feelings of both Zoe and Vanessa as each shared their story.  Mrs. Picoult’s handling of the controversial subject of homosexual relationships and marriage is done in such a way that the reader will gain a new understanding, and a clearer view, of what was once a taboo subject in mainstream fiction.  There is very little of the stereotypical couple in a gay marriage…more an open, honest portrayal of a non-traditional adult relationship between two individuals that very closely parallels the ups and downs of a traditional marriage. 

Just as with Jodi Picoult’s other books, Sing You Home will not disappoint you.

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What the Night Knows

by: admin - Filed under: Horror, Interesting Reads

What the Night Knows, Dean KoontzIf you’re a Dean Koontz fan, What the Night Knows won’t disappoint…

A serial murderer from two decades past is back to claim the one victim that escaped, and ultimately ended, his murderous rampage.  Not only is the killer after the victim, but also his family.  

The catch:  the serial killer is dead.  And yet, the murders of 20 years before are being repeated one by one…nearly exactly as before.

The storyline itself is interesting, and the writer draws you into the storyline almost immediately.  And, he seamlessly carries you back and forth between the murders of the past, the present, and into the distant past to tell the story of how the serial killer came to be the individual that he ultimately was.  

Having read literally all of Dean Koontz’s books, What the Night Knows is definitely one that I would highly recommend.

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