Rock Me on the Water: 1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics by Ronald Brownstein

October 8, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Rock Me on the Water: 1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics by Ronald Brownstein
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Los Angeles in 1974 exerted more influence over popular culture than any other city in America. Los Angeles that year, in fact, dominated popular culture more than it ever had before, or would again. Working in film, recording, and television studios around Sunset Boulevard, living in Brentwood and Beverly Hills or amid the flickering lights of the Hollywood Hills, a cluster of transformative talents produced an explosion in popular culture which reflected the demographic, social, and cultural realities of a changing America. At a time when Richard Nixon won two presidential elections with a message of backlash against the social changes unleashed by the sixties, popular culture was ahead of politics in predicting what America would become. The early 1970s in Los Angeles was the time and the place where conservatives definitively lost the battle to control popular culture.

Rock Me on the Water traces the confluence of movies, music, television, and politics in Los Angeles month by month through that transformative, magical year. Ronald Brownstein reveals how 1974 represented a confrontation between a massive younger generation intent on change, and a political order rooted in the status quo. Today, we are again witnessing a generational cultural divide. Brownstein shows how the voices resistant to change may win the political battle for a time, but they cannot hold back the future.

Looking for a feast for the eyes that revolves around the year 1974? Then look no further.

This book is a bit of a mishmash concerning the things that happened in 1974. It’s heavy on pop culture and politics. The writing is easy and this is a quick read. Check it out if you’re interested in music, film and television from that year.

I have to admit there are times when the author gets a bit heavy on politics. There is a certain flair revolving around the election of Jerry Brown. That said, it’s not bad. Just a lot of information. The book is made up of chapters labeled as each month of 1974. There are touches on music – namely the west coast sound, Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles – television – All in the Family and MASH – plus films, including the work of Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and the emergence of women writers and producers. It’s a lot more balanced than I initially thought it might be and was an interesting read.

Conservativism shows up as well as the change in the world from more of a young person mentality to a ‘family hour’ one where pop culture was encouraged to consider the family hour when creating content. I do like how the author contrasted the movements and showed both the minuses and the pluses to both.

If you’re looking for a long-form overview of the year, how the year and happenings within influenced the future and want to read about the music, films, politics and television of that time, then this is the one for you.

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

Merry Little Wishing Spritz by Cherie Colyer

October 7, 2021 By 1 Comment


Merry Little Wishing Spritz by Cherie Colyer
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal, Holiday
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Modern-day witch Cassie Moore’s cozy life turns upside down when her friend foresees the wrecking ball that threatens to destroy Cassie’s home and workplace. But Cassie isn’t giving up without a fight. She casts a well-intended spell meant to save her apartment and her job. But magic is unpredictable, especially when her friend casts a little charm of her own that has Cassie lusting after the man she desperately wants to despise.

Jack Quinn has had his eyes on Lakeside Books for years. He has big plans for the cozy waterfront property, but he didn’t expect to care about the store or its employees. And he never imagined he’d be drawn to a certain brown-eyed saleswoman.

Almost as if by magic.

This novella is the perfect story for when a reader is short on time but needs a quick fix of romance. Merry Little Wishing Spritz made me smile, grin, giggle and thoroughly entertained me. It kind of reminded me of Samantha in Bewitched, and when Cassie spoke to her cat, Smudge, it brought to mind a fond memory of Bell, Book and Candle when Gillian, the female lead, talks to her cat, Pyewacket. The thing is with this story, it’s more upbeat, sweet and playful with a happy ever after ending that left me happy and content.

I’m of the opinion that this story would make a delightful holiday movie which could be watched not only at Christmas, because of the mistletoe, but Halloween too, because good solid romance movies can span the holidays that happen towards the end of the year. I would really enjoy watching all the little pranks Cassie played on Jack. He was a good sport about it all – not suspecting a thing, of course. The scene with the reindeer made me grin.

The supporting cast is pretty much one person, Peyton, Cassie’s best friend. She’s the heroine’s cheerleader, confidant and conspirator in getting Cassie to open up to the possibility that Jack may not be like all the other losers Cassie had dated in the past. She was a perfect best friend and I liked her personality.

It was a stroke of genius to include the topic of gift giving to those in the community that had no one to give them gifts. Cassie and Peyton dressed up as adorable elves and that’s another reason why I could see this book being made into a film. There were so many details that touched the heart, coaxed emotions and feelings, and brought to life their little part of the world.

Merry Little Wishing Spritz is a happy romance story that includes a little paranormal zing of witchy wonderfulness to spice up the fun as Cassie and Jack fall in love. I’m glad I found this little gem and I believe a lot of readers are in for a treat when they read this book for themselves.

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Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour by Kam Knight

October 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour by Kam Knight
Publisher: MindLily.com
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Self-Help
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

This has become the go to book for students, teachers, educators, professionals, and home-school parents & children to rapidly improve their reading.

It offers simple tips to not only accelerate reading speed, but also comprehension and memory.

Unlike other books that merely teach you to skim & scan, this book taps into your brain and eyes’ amazing power to naturally read more words in a shorter time.

Very impressive read. I am sure it took a lot of effort on the author’s part because the book is well organized and broken into sections in a certain order that allows for organized learning. There are five sections and each section has three chapters that provide numerous tips and insight to help improve reading speed, comprehension and memory. The various techniques make sense and will require effort on the readers part. Readers will have to be hands on with the training techniques and definitely have to put the advice into practice. I appreciate the tips and will definitely work on adding the methods when I am reading. As the author stated “speed reading is about increasing habits that speed you up while decreasing habits that slow you down.”

The author not only gives tips but he makes sure the reader understands and absorbs what’s been written, as well as being able to recall what’s been learned. He gives a deeper dive into the art of reading. A lot of useful information on previewing before the reader starts reading, methods to use for different reading materials, space reading and using visual range in addition to various eye exercises. He offer advice on what questions readers should ask while reading so that they can get the bigger meaning or purpose of what is being read. Again a lot of information that never crossed my mind and will surely make me a better reader and also be able to comprehend what I’ve read. The author explains each technique by defining it, explaining it along with illustrations and practice drills that the reader can perform.

Reading faster and retaining more information deeply affects many aspects of life so why not give the useful concepts a try. I am sure you will find several useful tips that will help you with your quality of reading. I highly recommend this book!

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

Nowhere To Ride by Andrew Grey

October 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Nowhere To Ride by Andrew Grey
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Unjustly accused of a crime, Ky Archer is trying to keep his ranch together, with fierce tenacity and minimal help. With his nefarious accuser the lead wolf at the door, Ky is resolved to do whatever he has to in order to keep the final link with his family intact.

Brodie Tyler is down on his luck–way down. Down enough to camp with his baby sister in a tent to get away from relatives he’d hoped would help him. His parents are gone and he’s got nowhere to go, but he’s determined to keep his sister safe with him, no matter what.

Ky finds Brodie and Emily on his property and takes them in out of the storm… literally. Neither expects the heat that ignites between them to be as hot as the western sun. The men find they fit together well, both at work and in the bedroom. They also find they have a common enemy who tries to tear them apart. Working together, they might discover that each holds the key for the other’s desire.

Ky is struggling to keep his ranch afloat. With an enemy in town determined to smear his name and try to purchase his land and more work than Ky can handle things are looking dire. When he finds Brodie and toddler Emily on his land though, Ky can’t turn them away and offers the only help he can, a safe place to stay warm and dry. The sizzling attraction between the two men burns hotly between them, but when they find they share the wrath of a common enemy can these two men stick together and make things work?

I really enjoyed this well plotted and slow paced cowboy romance. I was pleased with the individuality of the main characters and enjoyed the strong supporting secondary characters as well. The author did an excellent job to my mind in making the two men relatable and believable, but still unique enough they stuck in my head and held my interest long after I’d finished this book. I also found this an emotional read and loved how Ky and Brodie formed a strong and believable connection before jumping into bed and becoming intimate.

The day to day problems and obstacles Ky – and Brodie – experienced also really resonated with me and felt both believable and relatable. Things like the hard manual work needed just to keep the ranch working in the searing Texas heat, the isolation of living outside the small township and how a precious resource like water could make or break the success of a farm. And while the villain could appear to be a little overdrawn I honestly feel that it wouldn’t be at all over the top for people to act so ruthlessly and mean-spiritedly – willing to destroy a man’s reputation and drive him out of town with hatred and lies – simply to steal land and resources. As despicable as those actions were, and hard to read, even this struck me as realistic and probably all too common out in real life.

I feel the author did an amazing job writing a realistic and emotional story with a decent and gripping plot. This was a lovely story and I’ve eagerly bought a number of his other works. This could easily become one of my new favourite authors. The fact the relationship and connection between Ky and Brodie was intense, believable and smoking hot was just icing on the cake.

A lovely read and a new to me author who I will enjoy reading more of.

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

*When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting

October 4, 2021 By Leave a Comment


*When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

Avery Spark is living her best life. Between her friends, her sisters, and Spark House, the event hotel her family owns, she doesn’t have much time for anything else, especially relationships. She’d rather hang out with her best friend and roommate, Declan McCormick, than deal with the dating scene. But everything changes when she is in a car accident and needs someone to care for her as she heals.

Declan avoids relationships, giving him a playboy reputation that he lives up to when he puts a one-night stand ahead of a promise he made to Avery. While he may not have been the one driving the car, he feels responsible for Avery’s injuries and is determined to make it up to her by stepping into the role of caretaker.

Little did they know that the more time they spend in compromising positions, the attraction they’ve been refusing to acknowledge becomes impossible to ignore. When they finally give in to the spark between them, neither is prepared for the consequences. Their love is fragile and all it will take is a blow from the past to shatter it all.

Going from friends to lovers isn’t an easy transition. That is the premise in Helena Hunting’s newest book, When Sparks Fly. Helena Hunting is one of my favorite authors so naturally, I was excited to read this one.

Declan and Avery have been best friends since college and once they graduate, they become roommates. They have a great relationship and enjoy spending time together because they both love sports. They are athletic and love everything that has to do with the sports world. However, their friendship changes when Avery has a bad auto accident.

I liked Declan, although he is a manwhore. I found it is easy to forgive him because deep down he is insecure and dealing with baggage from his past. Declan is filled with self doubt when it comes to relationships and he doesn’t think he is suited to a long lasting relationship. So, his life is filled with a series of hookups with different women.

Avery is the perfect friend and Declan doesn’t want to ruin their perfect friendship by becoming intimate with her. The only problem is lately, he finds he can’t stop thinking about her and staying away from Avery becomes impossible.

Helena Hunting knows how to write romance and she doesn’t disappoint with this one. It is fun, slow burning and has entertaining characters. I thoroughly enjoyed Declan and Avery’s story. They have so much in common and are great together. They worry they will ruin their wonderful friendship if they take a chance on love, but I wanted them to work everything out and end up together. This tender story had me quickly turning the pages to find out what would happen next.

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

The Wars Between Us by J.A. Boulet

September 30, 2021 By 6 Comments


The Wars Between Us by J.A. Boulet
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Historical Romance
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Rose

An inner struggle of self destruction, a poignant love story and the terrifying Battle of the Atlantic.

Meet Zachary Olason. You’ll either love him or hate him.

Spanning the years from the Great Depression to WW2, this endearing summer release will capture your heart as Zack, a bad boy struggling on the brink of alcoholism, loses himself and spirals into nights of debauchery, riots and drunkenness. His twin brother, Adam, thinks lowly of him as his entire family struggles to help him.

But Zack is determined to make a mess of his life.

Until he meets a beautiful petite woman, half Cree and part British, who helps him to grow into a better version of himself.
Then just as he thinks life is getting better, he sinks to the bottom of hell. Will he survive from his own self-destruction?
The only way he sees out is to join the Canadian Navy.

The Battle of the Atlantic will either teach him or break him.

THE WARS BETWEEN US

With action packed adrenaline and steamy love scenes, The Wars Between Us will keep you gripped to your seat on a ride of addiction, unwavering love and the fight to stay alive during WWII.

This book is part of the Olason family saga, but it can definitely be read on its own. I loved catching up with this family and I especially loved reading about the relationship between Zach and his twin Adam. I am not huge on war stories, so I hesitated a little about reading this one, but I enjoyed the other books in the series, so I thought I would give it a chance. The wars in the title does deal with WWII and the Canadian Navy (fascinating, by the way), but also refers to the brothers who are very different. Although they love each other, there are definitely times when they don’t like each other very much, and I loved seeing their relationship grow and change.

Zach also wars with himself and the choices he makes. There were times I wanted to pick him up, slap him, and tell him to stop feeling so sorry for himself. But then there were other times when I wanted to comfort him and tell him that everything was going to be alright. When an author can make the reader feel that strongly about a character, that’s a good thing.

Ms. Boulet has, once again, crafted a tale that not only let me learn something, but also allowed me to become a part of this family vicariously. I have to admit, this is my favorite book of the series. I do hope she is planning on taking us into the next generation of the family. I’ll be on the lookout!

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

A Firing Offense by George Pelecanos

September 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Firing Offense by George Pelecanos
Publisher: Orion Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

As the advertising director of Nutty Nathan’s, Nick Stefanos knows all the tricks of the electronics business. Blow-out sales and shady deals were his life. When one of the stockboys disappears, it’s not news: just another metalhead who went off chasing some dream of big money and easy living. But the kid reminded Nick of himself twelve years ago: an angry punk hooked on speed metal and the fast life. So when the boy’s grandfather begs Nick to find the kid, Nick says he’ll try.

Nick Stefanos works in advertising but has climbed his way up to his comfortable office position the long way – through the sales floor ranks and up through every level. He is perfectly happy to coast along until the grandfather of one of the stockboys Nick is friendly with approaches him. Nick isn’t too worried to hear the young man has gone missing, but as Nick casually looks into it what he uncovers is far darker and way more violent than he could have ever expected.

I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this very noir style of mystery. On the surface it’s quite simple, Nick reluctantly agrees to ask a few questions from people he knows and doesn’t plan to step too far out of his own path or stretch much at all. But what he thought was just a kid out having a good time is very much not that and so much more complicated everything – including Nick’s comfortable life – spirals out of control. This in itself could have easily been a gritty, older-style of noir hard boiled story, but the author does an amazing job of balancing this with a very seedy sort of underlife to the city and edges that really darkens the story significantly to my mind.

With frequent and very casual use of drugs and alcohol – sometimes to a level where I had to pause and wonder how the characters could have got away with their antics, I realized that while certainly fiction, the scenarios for all their craziness were so very plausible and realistic. This, more than the plot of the missing young man, really lent a weight and heaviness to the whole story I felt. It was simultaneously the thing I enjoyed most about the book, but equally the thing that disquieted me the entire read through.

This will not be every readers cup of tea, for sure. Different and envelope pushing this is a gritty and realistic read that while filled with violence and drug/alcohol abuse is also a story firmly about Nick and how when it comes to the crunch he – like all of us – has decisions to make. Decisions about which path to follow, what choices he can live with and where he draws the line between right and wrong, acceptable and not. It’s not often a book makes me really stop reading mid-sentence, sit back, think and mull over these sorts of things. And as uncomfortable as that was, I found it refreshing and brilliant though it took a while for me to get through it as there were a number of things I personally needed to dwell on and unpack as I trailed along after Nick.

Readers who can handle a darker and gritter style of writing and background and particularly those who like to occasionally delve deeper into life and our choices really should check this out. There are two more books featuring Nick Stefanos and after my heart rate has calmed down a bit I fully expect I’ll be purchasing them both.

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

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

September 29, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Forensic archeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is in her late thirties. She lives happily alone with her two cats in a bleak, remote area near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants—not quite earth, not quite sea. But her routine days of digging up bones and other ancient objects are harshly upended when a child’s bones are found on a desolate beach. Detective Chief Inspector Nelson calls Galloway for help, believing they are the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing a decade ago and whose abductor continues to taunt him with bizarre letters containing references to ritual sacrifice, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Then a second girl goes missing and Nelson receives a new letter—exactly like the ones about Lucy.

Is it the same killer? Or a copycat murderer, linked in some way to the site near Ruth’s remote home?

DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for a missing young girl, even though she was kidnapped just over ten years ago now. When bones are found in the Saltmarshes he calls in Dr Ruth Galloway, a local archaeologist with the University, to help uncover the site and help his investigations into the ancient henge.
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I really enjoyed this full length novel – the first in a series between DCI Nelson and Dr Galloway. While at times I found it off-putting that the book is written in the present tense this overall didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment. There is a strong cast of characters, about a half dozen well fleshed out main characters and a roughly equal number of smaller secondary characters. This, coupled with the interesting clashes and slow building connection between Nelson and Ruth really wove well with the various sub-plots. I thoroughly enjoyed how the two missing girls, the henge and holy sites around the salt marshland and the shifting friendships and complications of the various relationships between the characters all intermingled and wove around. I changed my mind about what was really going on underneath it all a few times as the characters and their relationships shifted and altered and this really kept me on my toes, along with the central plotline itself of the missing girls.

I feel readers looking for a more traditional style of mystery might struggle a bit with this book. There are definitely changing alliances and shifts in the various characters – from good to bad and back again – as the plot unfurls. Nothing is particularly linear here and while I found it not traditional, I was surprisingly fine with this. The excellent plotting, good writing and reality that life isn’t black or white, good or bad, really helped me connect a bit with the shifts in the plot and characters.

I also enjoyed how the site itself – both the desolate marshland of Norfolk as well as the henge site itself was practically a character in this story. The scenery and landscape, the danger of the changing tides and the easy comparisons with the loneliness and beauty of the harsh nature was a lovely addition I feel the author really added well into the story.

While I admit some of the characters actions won’t be every readers cup of tea, and the present tense writing style likely will rub some people the wrong way, I strongly feel this story (both the characters and the exceptional plot) is well worth the effort of sticking with the book. At numerous points I was pleased to have kept going and even though I’m still not sold on the book being written in the present tense, this was a minor blip as the action really amped up around the middle of the book and I found myself racing through the final half in almost one sitting.

An excellent first book in the series. I’ve already purchased the second and am eagerly awaiting it’s arrival so I can jump right in.

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

Challenge Accepted by Jaqueline Snowe

September 29, 2021 By Leave a Comment


*Challenge Accepted by Jaqueline Snowe
Publisher: Totally Entwined Group
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

College is all about learning, right?

Most college girls ‘swipe right’ to meet the right guy—Callie meets All-Star pitcher Zade while he’s buying tampons. College is all about learning, right?

How often do you meet your dream guy buying tampons at Target? Never, right? For Callie, a baseball-loving, hardworking college student, it happened just once. The magic was too real, too fast and too much, so she left the store without exchanging names.

But fate works in wonderful ways, right?

Zade Willows, the All-Star pitcher rumored to be drafted his senior year, gets what he wants. He has a fan club who follow his every move, but when he meets Callie, the game changes. She knows all his plays and that the game always ends—in heartbreak. But Zade doesn’t back down and is willing to try anything.

He’ll eventually get the girl, right?

When Zade and Callie meet at Target, they immediately connect. Challenge Accepted is a slow burn college sports romance that is sweet, fun and entertaining.

Zade and Callie meet when they are busy working on their college degrees. Neither one of them has any plans of settling down with one person. However, once they meet, it is impossible for them to fight their sizzling attraction. I thought Zade and Callie were perfect for each other. I loved these two together and enjoyed all their interactions; they have great dynamics and the bantering easily flows between them.

I loved Callie, she is smart and sassy and gives Zade a run for his money. I thought her confidence was her best attribute. Callie can’t help being attracted to Zade, a hot college baseball pitcher, but she treats him differently than the other girls on campus. She constantly keeps Zade on his toes. She sees him as a person not as a future pro baseball player, who will make a lot of money.

I liked Zade and I could understand why Callie was so attracted to him. On campus Zade has a reputation as a womanizer and it never bothered him, until he met Callie, the woman of his dreams. Zade likes everything about Callie, he has never met anyone like her, with Callie he has finally met his match. Zade wants more with Callie but he has to work hard before she trusts him. As they spend time together and the sparks fly, they slowly get to know each other and move toward a future together.

This is a slow burning and beautiful story. It has realistic character development and is easy to read, while being upbeat and tender. The characters are fun and likable and the story flows nicely. I also enjoyed the secondary characters, they are entertaining and add another dimension to the story. I highly recommend this sparkling and uplifting story.

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

Justified by De’Nesha Diamond and Briana Cole

September 28, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Justified by De’Nesha Diamond and Briana Cole
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, anthology
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

BLACK AND BLUE by DE’NESHA DIAMOND
In one shattering night, Charlie Warren’s fiancé is killed, she is attacked—and then framed as part of a police cover-up. Five years later, with nothing to lose, Charlie is free and vengefully exposing their operation, provoking their enemies—and turning the officers against each other. But when a detective gets way too close, Charlie has to decide between getting ultimate justice . . . or going down in a brutal crossfire of betrayal.

PSEUDO by BRIANA COLE

To elude an abusive ex, Kennedy stole several other women’s identities. Many new—and luxurious—lives later, she’s one of the best con artists in the world. But now one of those women is dead—and Kennedy is in the crosshairs. She’ll need to pull off one crucial, flawless deception before a merciless adversary takes her, and her glamorous unreal life, out for good.

BLACK AND BLUE by DE’NESHA DIAMOND

Charlie Jean Warren, has lived a full life. She followed in her family’s footsteps in completing a military career and now she’s obtained her nursing degree. It’s finally time to settle down with her high school sweetheart Hennessey Rawlins. What could go wrong on the night that Hennessy proposes?

Everything. That night changed her life forever. Hennessey is killed and Charlie is attacked. Charlie can identify the attackers but instead Charlie is framed as part of a police cover-up and ends up doing five years in prison.

I finished this story in two settings. The action and shootout scenes I can visualize as they are played out. Readers will quickly find out the reason behind the feud between King Kong and Ramsey Holt. The author created an entertaining read as readers follow the drama and suspense to find out who was behind the hit on Charlie and Hennessey. It was hard for me not to feel for the character. After being helpless and feeling hopeless Charlie’s display of strength is courageous. I enjoyed how the author made the lead character so real. None of the things she did were planned but after knowing who she couldn’t trust I can understand her desire in taking the opportunity to find out the truth and also get revenge.

I appreciate the short scenes between Charlie and Hennessey’s look-a-like. The author gave just enough bedroom scene to make the character seem real and human keeping with the mission and not watering it down with romance. The bond between Charlie and her sisters was inspiring. They cared about their sister but didn’t truly understand the impact the loss of her fiancé and unborn child had on her. Charlie’s heartfelt words spoken to her sisters helped them understand her need for justice. ‘Our lives mean something. Hennessy’s life meant something even if he wasn’t perfect. Even if he was guilty of some of the things they accused him of in court. He didn’t deserve to be killed on the side of the road as if he was trash.’

In this compelling story that I enjoyed, Charlie’s justice was justified. The author wrapped it up nicely and explained who was behind the hit and exposed the dirty cops for their greed.

PSEUDO by BRIANA COLE

The excerpt says ‘To elude an abusive ex, Kennedy stole several other women’s identities.’ Sounds interesting enough for me to read. But the story is more about a greedy uncaring individual that wants what is not hers. She was not likable and as I was reading I was hoping she would find the error in her ways and correct her lifestyle. If the author’s attention was to get the reader to dislike Kennedy, it worked. I did not like her at all, not one bit. If you are looking for a book about a strong woman that has overcome her struggles this is not it. I didn’t understand her motive for stealing innocent women identities to take their money and mess up their credit. I can understand hiding from an ex but hiding in the same town you grew up in, just didn’t seem like the wises of places to hide. There are several loop holes and a lot going on in such a short amount of pages but I’ll focus on the overall story and what I think the author was trying to say.

The author did have an interesting plot in mind and I was able to follow along. I rated half a point higher because I do like the idea the author had in writing the book. I think I was so bothered by Kennedy’s actions that I didn’t give much attention to who was committing the murders. So the half a point for suspense and the author does have a talent for telling a story.

I’m still trying to piece together Benji’s part in the book and the family tree of Lewis, Kennedy’s first husband. Also, I’m not sure how this story fits in with the title Justified. I didn’t find anything justifiable about any of it.

Finally, even with those listed reservations I mentioned above, I found this was a well written story. I was still intrigued to see what lengths Kennedy would go to next, and the story kept my attention and managed to deliver an unpredictable ending.

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