Handcuffs & High Heels: A Ruby Wisdom Mystery by J.M. Edwards

Reviewed by Vivian
Recommended 18+

I would categorize this as a high jinx mystery novel. This story centers around a divorcee, Ruby Wisdom, who was at one time married to the town of Wormwood's local sheriff. Currently she is a private detective hired to solve the towns crime, one involving Violet Sullivan. On their initial meeting Ruby requests she bring a box of Little Debbie Swiss Rolls along, one of her favorite treats. She hires Ruby to investigate her husbands indiscretions,Violet suspects her husband Tripp is planning on leaving her for his bookkeeper. Her case changes from infidelities to murder when Tripp is found murdered, naked wearing nothing except fur-trimmed handcuffs and leopard print high heels. Ruby tries using her past relationship with her former husband Hank and current flame Clint, a UPS driver to help solve the mystery of who killed Tripp.

I enjoy books that I cannot wait to pick up and finish the read. This story lacked that for me.  To be honest, I did not connect with the characters. The author's attempt at humor was tongue and cheek. The novel's plot, in my opinion, requires little concentration on the part of the reader. A great mystery should make the reader think and consist of twists and turns, allowing the reader to enjoy a novel's whodunnit factor. This lacked on all counts. It was a short easy read, if this is your type of book it would be something to consider for a rainy weekend.

Currently, this book is priced at $2.99 on Amazon (link posted below), at a little over 180 pages making it an okay value. I suggest you pick this one up at your local library. Considering this is a  high jinx mystery and not my normal read I would give this 3 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Handcuffs-High-Heels-Wisdom-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00M8N1LJ6

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/handcuffs-high-heels-jm-edwards/1120023215?ean=2940149636006

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Reviewed by Lucy
YA novel 16+

If you haven't read this book yet, you are completely missing out on an experience. Colleen Hoover crafts a story that makes you feel and think as you take this journey with her characters, and in this book, you will take a journey. This debut novel, completely took me by surprise. This novel is about about unfairness, loss, grief, sorrow, love, acceptance, understanding, all of the things that make life harsh and beautiful. (This is the first in a series of three.)

The book opens with 18 year old Layken, who along with her young brother Kel and mother Julia are literally parking the moving truck, having sold their old house in Texas moving north to Michigan. This is after the unexpected sudden death of her father, a sorrowful circumstance that left the family with few financial choices leading to the move. Angry about being uprooted, she is getting ready to start her senior year away from everyone and everything she has known. Underneath the cloud of grief, Layken is struggling to find her way in this new family situation with the void left by her father's demise.

While waiting for her mother to situate things with the land lord, Layken meets her new neighbor Will and his younger brother who happens to be Kel's age. They all seem to hit it off, the brothers as well as Layken and Will. Will offers to help Layken find the grocery store, taking the long way around to spend time with her. Later the two go out on a date, Will taking Layken to a favorite place of his, where poets read their orginal works. A bond forms quickly as their relationship takes root, the silver lining in all that has occurred for Layken...Will. Unfortunately, as Layken has learned, life isn't always fair, and as quickly as the two came together, they are torn apart.

I will say no more for fear of giving too much away. This a beautiful story that makes you feel everything the characters do as it unfolds. It's tragic and beautiful, will take you from highs to lows and everything in between. Not only did I love the main characters Will and Layken, the brothers Kel and Caulder where fantastically written as well. This book is a bit more than most I tend to read, but was absolutely worth the price tag of $7.99 for ebook or about $14.00 for paperback. Slammed is a home run, a book I have read more than once, a 5 star read!

http://www.amazon.com/Slammed-A-Novel-Colleen-Hoover/dp/1476715904

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slammed-colleen-hoover/1108162651?ean=9781476715902

Wildest Dreams by Kristen Ashley

Reviewed by Lucy
Recommended for 18+

Kristen Ashley, known to many readers as the queen of Alpha male novels, has a fantasy series called Fantastical where magic, adventure, and the fairy tales worlds come alive. Having read and loved many Kristen Ashley novels over the years, starting with her Rock Chick series, I must admit, I was tentative about this series. I put it off until I had devoured most of her straight forward romance adventure novels. Part of it was I had high expectations due to previous works, that I feared she wouldn't hold up when switching genres in this way. I should have had more faith in you Ms. Ashley. Once again, I fell into a all night book-a-thon, continuing into the following day, unable to put the book down until finished type state. I was in total story junkie mode with this one.

The story begins with a young adventure seeking junkie named Seofin, Finnie for short, who contacts a witch known as Valentine, who for a large sum of money, promises her the ultimate adventure. A trip to an alternate universe, one parallel to ours, one where our twin exists, though different from ourselves, in a world very different from our own. Having made contact with the other Seofin, the Finnie of this world and of the other agree to trade places for one year. Our Finnie is driven by adventure, but more so out of the desire to see her parents, who in this world have since perished, but live on in the parallel universe.

The switch is made, and shortly thereafter, our Finnie finds herself in a magical winter wonderland as a real live princess. What the original Seofin forgot to mention however, is that she was set to marry the Drakkar in mere moments. He is an immensely large man with a surly disposition and apparent dislike for Finnie, which also the former Seofin forgot to mention. After getting hitched and ditched by her new husband in a remote part of this frozen foreign land, Finnie gets exactly what she was looking for, an adventure. Finnie, being strong willed and determined makes the best of what she was given, and finds herself enjoying this strange yet wonderful world. As time passes, she also gets more than she expected in the Drakkar.

For me, Kristen Ashley always meets expectations when writing her alpha male characters. In this novel she also does a fantastic job in writing strong female characters of substance. If you are looking for a good adventure romance, in a fantasy setting with sci-fi elements, then this is the story for you. Magic, elves, dragons, and a wonderfully crafted world await you within these pages. At over 500 pages for $3.99 it's a great value for a rich story with great characters giving it 4 1/2 stars. Links listed below for amazon, barnes and noble, and author's web page.

http://www.amazon.com/Wildest-Dreams-Fantasyland-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B005HH1HVM
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wildest-dreams-kristen-ashley/1105099123?ean=2940011458903
http://www.kristenashley.net/menu/titles/fantasyland_series.html

Tall, Dark & Lonely: A Pyte/Sentinel Series Novel by R.L. Mathewson

Reviewed by Lucy

recommended for readers 18+

R.L. Mathewson, I must confess, is one of my favorite authors. The first book of hers I read was A Neighbor from Hell, a story that literally had me laughing out loud to the point that my children thought I was slightly off...well more so than they normal. While monster books, (traditional vamp and werewolf novels), generally aren't my first go to book, given that I enjoyed her writing style, I thought I'd give her Pyte Sentinel Series a try. 

The book begins many long years in the past with Ephraim, who finds himself chained to a bed disoriented to find there is something quite amiss. Ephraim soon learns along with his father and brothers, that he is indeed different, setting him on a path of torment he must endure for about 2 decades. 

Our story then fast forwards to present day with the 23 year old woman Madison who is currently driving cross country with her neglectful sorry excuse of a mother and two younger sibling to their estranged grandmother's house. Madison struggled but managed to primarily raise her younger brother and sister while her mother lived a carefree life filled with men, drugs, and alcohol. 

It is after arriving in New England, at the boarding house her grandmother owns, where Ephraim and Madison meet. They are set up beside one another in the boarding house and share a bathroom. While Madison is curious about the reclusive detective Ephraim, Ephraim is drawn to Madison on several different levels. 

I won't say much more about the story itself so I do not spoil it for others, but I will say that is has all things I have come to expect with R.L. Mathewson novels. Great characters, good plot, humor, and just a good overall story. As far as value, this book is over 300 pages for $.99. You can't get any better than that folks. While this novel did come out several years ago, I chose to review it because the fourth book, and last in the series as I understand it, is set to be release October 31, 2014. I have read all of the pyte/sentinel books so far and enjoyed them all. I would rate this as far as value, story, and length at a 4 to 4 1/2 star review. Totally recommend it even for those of you who are not paranormal book readers.  Below you will find the link for both Amazon and Barnes and Noble if you are interested in purchasing. (For the Nookers...this book is part of the lending library, so you can always see if a fellow reader has it available to borrow.)

http://www.amazon.com/Tall-Dark-Lonely-Pyte-Sentinel-ebook/dp/B004GNFNRM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1410460912&sr=8-6&keywords=rl+mathewson+kindle+books

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tall-dark-lonely-r-l-mathewson/1029686352?ean=2940032987000

Stay by Emily Goodwin

Reviewed by Lucy
Recommended 18+

Warning! Adult read. While this is considered a romantic read, it falls into the dark and dramatic for me. If you are a sensitive reader, you may find the subject matter in this novel disturbing. This story centers upon the human trafficking of young women and girls and deals with rape involving sexual slavery. I bought this book on sale for $.99 on Amazon at the suggestion of a fellow reader.

Alrighty, let's get to it shall we. Okay, so I tend to favor these darker reads about the damaged psyche, the monster who is missing part of his or her humanity and what made him or her that way. So, I have some experience reading these types of books. What I usually find is that they center around the Stockholm Syndrome condition between the character, which I find fascinating as well, though surprisingly I did not find it here.

Our story centers around a young college age woman named Addie. While attending a gay pride parade in support of a friend in the company with her sister and other best friend, a chance encounter changed the course of her life, who she was and ultimately who she was to become. Upon seeing a young woman upset seemingly fearing she was being followed, she finds this same young woman later in the day in a secluded alley, when two men approach. Not understanding the nature of these men, Addie asks them for help. Moments later, Addie finds herself captive by the hands of two men, Zane and Jackson.

I hate spoilers, so I won't say much more about what unfolds. What I will say, within these pages you encounter damaged people, two to be precise, who find a true beautiful true connection. One built on trust, understanding, and hope in a place where none of these things should exist. The only complaint I have about the book, is at times it felt rushed taking away from the characters. That said, it was still a great read that I would recommend. Honestly, for me this was a huge bargain for $.99. Regular purchase price is $2.99 and totally worth it. Link to Amazon found below. I give it 4 out of 5 stars! Definitely 18 & up.

http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Emily-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B00KGHZCVE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410232162&sr=8-1&keywords=stay

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Reviewed by Winnie

So Lucy bought me this book at complete random about a year ago, saying that it had good reviews and I should try it. Well I finished the entire series, and lo and behold I liked it a lot. Enough to write a review, that is.

Dashner's story starts off with our protagonist, named Thomas, in a dark metal box with memory only of his name and age, which of course is sixteen. So the box is being pulled upward and suddenly opens, revealing The Glade, which is a safe haven surrounded by an enormous maze. Other boys, older and younger than him, greet him as he tries to settle into his new life trying to figure out the maze and how to get out.

I personally liked Thomas as a main character. He wasn't overly prideful and had a clear head on his shoulders. He was resourceful and... well, you know, smart. What else do you want me to say? Although he wasn't my favorite, but I tend to favor side characters over main characters most of the time.

The Gladers -the boys who live in the glade- have their own slang. I liked this since it made them seem all the more alone out there. That there were no other humans in the Maze besides the Gladers. I think it adds to the charm.

I don't really have much else to say without spoiling everything, I'd give this four stars out of five. Links to purchase the first book in the series below!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Maze-Runner-Book-1/dp/0385737955

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maze-runner-james-dashner/1030996581?ean=9780385737951

Hunger Game by Suzanne Collins

Reviewed by Lucy
Recommended 14+

Although this book has been available for some time, it was such a good story that it deserved a review regardless. If you have been living under a rock, you may not have heard of the novel or the feature film. Though the book is written for primarily a YA audience, it still appealed to the middle aged me. Not only was it well written, but the premise of the novel was interesting and relevant to today. Though we have no programs relating to death games, we do enjoy our reality tv. (I'm not pointing the finger, trust me. I've been known to watch Hoarder's merely for shock value and as a pick me up. Let's face it, we all feel like Miss Clean afterwards.) Not only is the story socially relevant, but the hero is a heroine in the best sense of the word. Katniss Everdeen is intelligent, clever, brave, selfless, resilient, stubborn, and resourceful. So Ms. Collins get and A+ from me as a mother of daughters.

Let's get to it shall we. As with all dystopian books, the world as we have known it is no longer. Old governments have collapsed giving birth to corrupt politicians. Sectors have been establish where nearly all the population has been enslaved in a structure similar to concentrations camps, minus those who live in the Capital. Obsessed with their fashion, food, and lavish lifestyles, they are self obsessed, growing bored and desensitized. The Capital holds games once a year, where the young enslaved in the district must enter themselves in a lottery, entering their names to gain access to food, where they can be chosen to participate in the televised games. Games where there is only one winner, and the only way you win is by killing every other contestants.

Okay, so I won't say anymore and ruin it those few who are out of the loop. What I will say, is if you are a sensitive reader, warning, you will find violence in this book, but it also contains a strong moral message. I found characters were well developed and written. I though I should mention the book is in first person narration for those who dislike this style of literature. Overall I would give this a 5 star review. (Fellow frugal book junkies, great local library and second-hand book shop find.)

This is the first novel in a series of three. Direct links are listed below.

http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Book-1/dp/0439023521

Barnes and Noble Link