Better Together: Life Is Best with a Friend Like You featuring Warren Photographic

May 10, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Better Together: Life Is Best with a Friend Like You featuring Warren Photographic
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Contemporary, Photographic
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Do you need an inspirational coffee table book that everyone will enjoy? Better Together combines adorable photos of unlikely animal pairs alongside poignant quotes about friends of all stripes on subjects such as love, respect, and compassion. This book is great for children and adults.

Quotes from George Washington to Bono focus on friendship, unity, strength, and harmony between people with diverse viewpoints, lifestyles, or beliefs. Inspiring quotes include:

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” – Abraham Lincoln
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'” – C. S. Lewis
“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark than walk alone in the light.” – Helen Keller
Better Together is full of reminders of the very best things about friendship and is the perfect way to tell someone you love: “Life is best with a friend like you.” This coffee table book is perfect for:

Anyone who loves animals
Birthdays, just because gift purchases for him or her, and as a housewarming gift
All ages, 0-100

Cute, comforting and quirky.

I wanted a book that would serve well as a graduation present and picked up this book. For those who like animals, especially baby animals, it’s adorable. The quotes are wonderful and inspirational. The variety is great, too. It’s just an all-around nice book.

The photographs are wonderful, illustrating the quotes well. I zipped right through this book and recommend it for anyone who wants to give an animal lover a nice gift or for someone who needs a little inspiration.

Pick up a copy today.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Unquiet Bones by David J. Gatward

May 10, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Unquiet Bones by David J. Gatward
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When move-in day turns fatal, will facing up to his past prove deadly?

Detective Chief Inspector Harry Grimm has the keys to hope. Excited but nervous over claiming his new house, he’s tying himself even tighter to his adopted community. But he can’t contain his horrified surprise when a mutilated corpse in the lounge makes him the owner of a gruesome crime scene.

With markings on the body showing a disturbing link to his time in Afghanistan, Grimm shivers with alarm as his team discovers the victim’s identity. And when he’s taken off the case, the stoic cop pursues answers on his own out of fear he’s about to be shattered by his bloody past.

Will he hunt down the killer…or is Grimm about to become the prey?

Unquiet Bones is the page-turning twelfth book in the DCI Harry Grimm Crime Thrillers series. If you like besieged heroes, races against time, and nail-biting mysteries, then you’ll love David J. Gatward’s restless pursuit.

DCI Harry Grimm has finally taken the plunge and bought himself a small home in the Dales. Happy in his new area and job, with a dog, a girlfriend and his brother all comfortably settled Harry is finding life just grand. Until the new, temporary DSup arrives with horrifying news about his father, and Harry uses his brand new keys to unlock his home and finds a murdered corpse in his living room. Nothing can ever come easily, and Harry is determined to find out what, exactly, is going on.

As the twelfth book in the series, I was pleased with this addition. While there is quite a bit of history now between Harry and his police team, it was lovely to read how well they all work together and yet the author still managed to make it appear fresh and interesting. I feel readers should absolutely be able to pick this book up and not need to have read any of the previous installments – though obviously they’re all good and the series is much richer and deeper with all that background knowledge.

I have to admit I enjoyed the character of the new DSup. She appeared to be quite an interesting and intelligent character and I hope she sticks around for the next few books. I felt she added a breath of fresh air to the storyline, and I really enjoyed her character. I also enjoyed the fact there was a good blend between the faster pace of a murder/mystery novel and the slower pace of the small countryside setting. I do feel readers will need to suspend some disbelief at the high rate of serious crime in such a small and sleepy little area – but that’s a small price to pay for such a picturesque setting for these murder mysteries and the police unit having so many crimes to figure out.

There were a few twists in the plot towards the end of the book – one of which I had guessed somewhere in the middle of the story. That said, the introduction of a new character was something I hadn’t guessed, and I found to be a delightful and surprising addition to the story. I really hope that rekindled friendship continues in the coming few books as well as I’d love to learn more about the history there with Grimm and see if more could be added to the friendship and built into the future.

The author does an excellent job to my mind of balancing all these different elements and making an interesting plot work so well with vibrant characters and I really enjoy this series. This is a good book and one I enjoyed.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

In Darkness: The Shark by L. Diane Wolfe

May 9, 2023 By Leave a Comment


In Darkness: The Shark by L. Diane Wolfe
In Darkness series
Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Souls shrouded in darkness…

Focused on her studies and duties at the aquarium, Jewels prefers her solitary life. Burned many times and short on trust, she has more in common with her aquatic friends than the people around her. But she never imagined coming face to face with a shark named Clarence…a shark who talks!

As their friendship grows, Jewels must overcome her deep set mistrust. There are dangers, both in the Australian ocean and on dry land. Can Jewels depend on the great white or will his animal nature betray her?

This was a surprising read. I didn’t know what to expect but having a shark for a friend certainly got my attention. The length might be a novella, but it packs a powerful punch when it comes to the storytelling.

I’ll be truthful, there was a moment during the net scene where I thought all my worst tropes and cliches were about to come true and I was stressed and sad. The story was so different and interesting, cute and fun and I really didn’t want it to go in that direction. Well, it sort of did yet didn’t. It followed the science to some degree, and yes, human nature did get in the way as I knew it would. However, compassionate minds prevailed, and the sought-for solution was achieved, yet the consequences couldn’t be prevented. All that to say, my emotions were engaged, I cared and totally was into the groove of the whole story in all its ups and downs.

Now, here is the weird part. It really is a romance story but it’s highly unconventional. It’s sweet and endearing and, I realized when I was almost done with the book, that love really was growing between Clarence and Jewels. It happened through trust and communication. When those two things are all you have, it builds a foundation not distracted by physical attraction, social conventions and shallow presentation. It’s pure and honest. And that’s what the crux of the plot conflict was. Jewels has been hurt so much in her young life that she doesn’t trust anyone – anyone human that is. Clarence has to earn her trust. I mean, he IS a great white shark, and we all know about the movie JAWS and how that story affected people across the world – fear and terror. Now do you see why I found the premise of this book so incredibly fascinating? Add in that it’s a romance and my curiosity got the better of me. I had to find out how this would work. Enter the paranormal aspect. It arrives in a gentle manner. There’s no explanation of how things came to be, they just are. It’s up to a reader to decide what power might have been responsible for it but the end result is just beautiful. It’s happy and it made me happy.

The Shark is unusual fun, a unique adventure of friendship, and proof that love can grow when you have the basics – trust, communication, the ability to learn and have fun, and the willingness to go out on a limb for the one you love. I definitely recommend this story.

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Overdue by Jo A Hiestand

May 9, 2023 By 17 Comments


Overdue by Jo A Hiestand
Publisher: Cousins House
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Rose

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

A spate of three murders in as many months has Derbyshire’s local police and populace in near panic. And there will most likely be a fourth killing in two weeks unless something happens to stop the cycle. Former police detective Michael McLaren is that “something” that his best mate, Jamie Kydd, is counting on to end the alarming deaths. He enlists McLaren’s help to look into the events, hoping his friend can solve what, so far, has confounded the Constabulary.

Each of the three crime scenes is the same, yet different: the same types of things but not the same specific things left with each body. As McLaren becomes enmeshed in the hunt for the killer, his friend Melanie arrives for a planned visit. Can his days become more complicated than simultaneously playing host and unmasking a killer? They can when he’s aware that each tick of the clock brings them closer to the next planned murder. And perhaps an unplanned one…thrown in for fun.

It was such a treat to visit Michael McLaren again and catch up with the people I’ve come to know and love.

Once again, he is caught up in a mystery that takes not only his own work, but insights from his friends to solve. There were so many twists and turns, and the clues were clever. Too clever for me, in fact, and I pride myself on usually being able to figure out who the villain is before it’s revealed. Not this time…no way.

I loved the “overdue” theme that winds its way through the book. That was also cleverly done.

This series would make a great tv series (producers of Shetland, are you listening?) I hope someone who has contacts with the right people pick these books up.

Great job, again, Ms. Hiestand. 5 stars from me.

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Fuddles by Frans Vischer

May 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Fuddles by Frans Vischer
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Childrens, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Fuddles is a fat, lazy housecat who’s never experienced the Great Outdoors. One day, his family leaves the door open a crack and Fuddles seizes the chance to slip out, but things aren’t quite as he expected. In a series of hilarious mishaps, including a run-in with the neighborhood dog, Fuddles realizes that life indoors was actually pretty good. Told with deadpan humor and charming art, Fuddles is sure to steal readers’ hearts.

Adorable and fun, but with a lesson.

I picked this book up because it had a chonky cat on the front and his name is Fuddles. How can you go wrong with that? You can’t. The writing is fun, but it teaches a lesson, and the illustrations are great.

The theme of the book is respecting what you already have, and that theme shined right through. Children will love the illustrations of Fuddles trying to figure out where he belongs and will be able to understand sometimes being where you are is the best. I liked Fuddles because he’s like many animals that want the thrill of being outside, until they get it, then they don’t want it any longer.

If you want an adorable book, with a good message, then this book is a must.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

The Maid: A Novel by Nita Prose

May 5, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Maid: A Novel by Nita Prose
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Supsense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

It’s a whirlwind of a story.

I picked this book up for a book club read and it was highly recommended. There is a mystery here and there is a fascinating character in Molly. I wanted to know what would happen to Molly and how the mystery would unravel, so I kept at it. The writing was good and I kept going to the end.

I have to admit the portrayal of Molly had some issues. I liked that she’s potentially neurodivergent, but this is told through her point of view, so it wasn’t necessarily explained, and I wish it had been, so I could’ve identified with her a bit more. She’s also been through a lot and needed someone. So, it was good that she found the people she did.

The mystery aspect of it was a bit muddy and didn’t hold my interest as much as I’d have liked. I kept finding myself skipping pages or having to reread to get caught back up. Maybe I wasn’t the right reader for this book. Others will no doubt find this book fantastic.

That said, there is a mystery here to unravel, there is a life Molly has that is fascinating and this book had moments it shined. If that’s what you’re looking for, then pick this book up. It just might be for you.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Unabashed Women: The Fascinating Biographies of Bad Girls, Seductresses, Rebels and One-of-a-Kind Women by Marlene Wagman-Geller

May 3, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Unabashed Women: The Fascinating Biographies of Bad Girls, Seductresses, Rebels and One-of-a-Kind Women by Marlene Wagman-Geller
Publisher: Mango
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary, Historical, Biography
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History
#1 New Release in Historical Study Essays

A thrilling journey into the badass women whose non-conventional lives left their DNA on history. Discover words of wisdom from the women who found their voices, inspiring you to do the same.

Amazing women with a story to tell. Join Mae West as she shakes up the entertainment industry with her wit and wisdom or create colorful art pieces with Yayoi Kusama that are larger than life itself. These women in history defied the expectations of conventional society to live the lives they chose, regardless of what others thought.

Words of Wisdom. Society may have labeled these fierce femmes as rebels, bad-ass, wild, or uppity. But, these amazing women still dared to be different. With an out-of-the-box perspective, you’ll find inspiration from an array of fabulous females who will give you a lesson in being one-of-a-kind.

Unabashed Women offers you:

Lessons on how to break the glass ceiling
Biographies of trailblazing women from all walks of life
Empowerment through famous females who dared to go against the grain

Women don’t have to be one thing and they don’t have to be good all the time.

I picked up this book because I wanted to read the various biographies of the unabashed women and see who made the cut, but also see how the author handled the topic. I need not have worried. This book is quite multicultural, which was great, shows women throughout the most recent times, but went back over 100 years, which showed women have been trying to break the glass ceiling for a long time. I liked the variety of women, too.

These are the most influential women of our time and it’s nice to see such good biographies. They aren’t the most in-depth, but honestly, the book would be gigantic if that was the case. These are nice snapshots and I liked learning about the various people. Mae West, Nellie Bly, Jane Goodall are all among those chronicled.

If you want a book that doesn’t read like a textbook, but could be used as such, then grab this book. If you want to learn about women who are doing it for themselves, then this is the book for you. Pick it up!

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

In The Name Of Truth by Viveca Sten

May 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment


In The Name Of Truth by Viveca Sten
Publisher: Self-Published (Amazon Crossing)
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A shocking abduction rocks idyllic Sandhamn Island in an enthralling novel of suspense by Viveca Sten, bestselling author of In the Heat of the Moment.

With the summer season on Sandhamn comes an unsettling mystery for Detective Inspector Thomas Andreasson. A bullied young boy has vanished from a sailing camp on neighboring Lökholmen Island. Has the terrorized eleven-year-old run away? Or, in this isolated vacation spot where strangers lurk, is it something more ominous?

The disappearance has also captured the interest of Thomas’s longtime friend, attorney Nora Linde. The missing child happens to be the son of her latest client, Christian Dufva. He is a key witness against his partner in a high-profile embezzlement trial, and Dufva’s testimony could be devastating. It’ll also be Nora’s biggest win—the next step toward a position as chief prosecutor. But with every anonymous threat against Dufva, the stakes get higher.

When new evidence surfaces in their respective cases, new questions and fears arise for Thomas and Nora. Time is running out to resolve them. So is hope of finding the boy alive. Because on Sandhamn Island, the truth is buried as deep as the secrets.

Detective Inspector Thomas Andreasson is called to the small community Lokholmen Island where an eleven-year-old boy has gone missing from a summer sailing camp. Thomas’ long-time childhood friend, Nora, is also caught up in the search as the boy is the son of her key witness, Christian Dufva. Nora’s important court case and Thomas’ missing child case are inextricably wound together, and each are seeking their own answers. Can the two friends work together again, and both receive the answers they need?

I’ve been enjoying this Scandinavian noir style of mystery series and was pleased with this addition. The author has added a good mixture of mystery/suspense plot along with a good smattering or Nora’s court case and the more legal/judicial side of events as they unfolded. I feel readers who like either genre should be very happy with the storyline of this book. I was also impressed that even though this book is well into the series it largely stands well by itself. The personal lives of both Nora and Thomas are quite well developed – but are easily understood and caught up on if readers haven’t read anything previous to this book.

While the pace is a little slower than I find most American styled plots to be, I felt this shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent for most readers who like British or Scandinavian styles of mystery novels. I also thought with the mixture of police and legal drama overlapping this helped keep the feel of the pace moving at a decent clip and it definitely gave me the feeling while reading that the plot was moving along. There was also some character grown for both Thomas and Nora – mostly in respect to their personal relationships. While I didn’t feel either of these partnerships overtook the main plotlines, it definitely added an extra element to the story and I feel made the plots feel a bit more well-rounded.

A solid – though not exceptional – addition to the series this was a good book and an enjoyable light read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

My Daughter’s Boyfriends by Penny Jackson

May 1, 2023 By Leave a Comment


My Daughter’s Boyfriends by Penny Jackson
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Romance, LGBTQ, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

My Daughter’s Boyfriends is a short story collection from the Pushcart Prize–winning writer Penny Jackson. Her female narrators explore the loss of love and innocence, as well as the strength to overcome adversity and the need for redemption. The setting of these stories ranges from a hotel in Jamaica to New York City during the terror reign of Son of Sam to a summer camp for teenage girls in New Hampshire. Original, entertaining, thought-provoking, My Daughter’s Boyfriends will prove to be of special appeal to readers with an interest in coming-of-age stories about women.

These are the parts of womanhood that most women don’t discuss out loud.

The main character in ‘The First Brassiere” was irritated by the prospect of needing to wear a bra for the first time. Growing up isn’t always easy, and I liked the way she described what she wanted out of life instead and why she was so hesitant to start acting like a proper young lady. Ms. Jackson captured that stage of development perfectly and with the perfect amount of humor.

As soon as “The Elephant in the Bush” mentioned that Ida had Alzheimer’s disease and her former daughter-in-law was looking after her, I was interested in hearing more. I’d been a little suspicious this might be the case as soon as she was introduced, and I wanted to see what the plot did with characters like these. The relationship between them was warm, loving, and slightly unusual given that Susan had been divorced from Ida’s son for many years. This was something shared very early on in their conversation, and it only deepened my curiosity about how their family worked and what else I could learn about them.

Rose had a complicated and sometimes painful relationship with her father in “Green Love.” I was intrigued by how little she knew about what he did for a living and how uninterested she was in learning more. This was a memorable snapshot of a dysfunctional family that loved each other but struggled to express emotions like love for reasons that I will leave up to other readers to discover for themselves.

My Daughter’s Boyfriends made me yearn for more. What a poignant and gorgeous collection.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Babe in the Woods by Jude Hopkins

May 1, 2023 By 1 Comment


Babe in the Woods by Jude Hopkins
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Poppy

It’s September 1995, the first year of the rest of Hadley Todd’s life. After living in Los Angeles, Hadley returns to her hometown in rural New York to write and be near her father. In addition to looking after him and teaching high school malcontents, Hadley hopes to channel her recent L.A. heartbreak into a play about the last moment of a woman’s innocence. But she seeks inspiration.

Enter Trey Harding, a young, handsome reporter who covers sports at the high school. Trey reminds Hadley of her L.A. ex and is the perfect spark to fire up her imagination. The fact that Trey is an aspiring rock star and she has L.A. record biz connections makes the alliance perfect. She dangles promises of music biz glory while watching his moves. But the surprising twist that transpires when the two of them go to Hollywood is not something Hadley prepared for.

This book wasn’t at all what I expected, and that’s not a bad thing.

If you’re going into this expecting a romance, stop right now. That isn’t what this book is… it’s a well written novel about a woman’s search for meaning. There’s a point where Hadley, the main character, describes the play she’s trying to write: “It’s about loss of innocence. When exactly we lose—women, that is—when we inevitably fall into disillusionment and despair. I want to know the exact moment before we lose our illusions about romantic love.”

And really, this book is basically the play, but in real life (for Hadley, anyway).

She’s surrounded by friends and family, she’s smart and interesting and ambitious. But really what matters most to the plot is how dissatisfied with life she is, and how she’s searching for something more. Hadley is 35 years old. And life isn’t what she’d expected it to be. And so, we readers follow her on a journey of self-discovery. That sounds as if the story is a bit dull, and it’s not. And I especially think women of a certain age will appreciate this story more than others.

There are decisions Hadley makes, and things she does, that make me want to give her a slap upside her head. As smart as she is, she sometimes does really stupid things, but … don’t we all? She makes strides forward along with a few back, until she really discovers the meaning of life as it pertains to her.

I won’t say I absolutely loved this book, but I did like it quite a bit. It’s nothing like I expected, or even like anything I typically read. But it was absolutely engaging and real and–even better–I really liked Hadley. I wish I could sit in on one of her writing group meetings or share a conversation over coffee. I think she’d be a really good friend.

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