Books for Books : May 2022

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

CANDIDATE FOR MURDER

"OMG! Carr is over the top and giving us an easy "10" with her latest, Candidate for Murder!...Don't just sit there thinking that this might be the book to try for Lauren Carr! I'm telling you right now it's a must-read for daring, adventure, crime-busting, high-level government criminal elimination." - reviewer by Glenda Bixler, Book Readers Heaven

"OMG!!! The best Mac Faraday...yet. Lauren Carr is a master storyteller who combines the humor of Janet Evanovich and the investigative skills of Patricia Cornwell. She is always at the top of my reading list." - review by Sherry Fundin, Fundinmental, As Eye See It

CLICK BOOK COVER TO LEARN MORE

Book Details:

Book Title: Candidate for Murder by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 12)
Category: Adult fiction (18+), 410 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: June 16, 2016
Format available for review: Audible download, ebook (mobi, epub, PDF)
Tour dates: March 28 to June 24, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 - Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex.There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Buy the Book:
Audible ~ Amazon
B&N ~ BookBub
Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—over twenty-five titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

connect with the author: webs ite ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads

My Review

Candidate for Murder by Lauren Carr was a great audiobook and it was C.J. McAllister's narration that had the book come alive for me as I listened to it! I really liked the fact that Gnarly ended up being nominated to run for mayor of Spencer! I loved the way the book really put the spotlight on Gnarly and I liked learning more about his past.

Thursday, May 26, 2022

CANCELLED VOWS

"The story moves at a rapid pace and has a bit of everything - romance, humor, and suspense with several other murders after the body is discovered. A few surprises along with the tension both at home and in New York. Carr does an excellent job of developing her characters and providing backstory while maintaining a quick pace. Well worth the sleep I gave up to get to the end." - review by Christa Nardi, Christa Reads and Writes.

"'Cancelled Vows is loaded with twists and turns and red herrings that will leave you guessing all the while you are flipping pages to find out what happens next. Take the phone off the hook and make yourself a big bowl of popcorn because once you get started you will not want to put this book down until you actually finish. This is a great murder mystery that is going to keep you guessing. I look forward to the next adventure." - review by Vic's Media Room.

CLICK ON BOOK COVER TO LEARN MORE

Book Details:

Book Title: Cancelled Vows by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 11)
Category: Adult fiction (18+), 320 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: January 28, 2016
Format available for review: Audible download, ebook (mobi, epub, PDF)
Tour dates: March 28 to June 24, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 - Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex.There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Buy the Book:
Audible ~ Amazon
B&N ~ BookBub
Add to Goodreads

My Review

I enjoyed reading this novel. Unlike other murder mysteries, it was not filled with nudity, sexual content, bad language, or gore. This novel is a murder mystery that children getting into murder mysteries can enjoy. I personally would recommend this book to those 12 and older simply because of the length of the book and the complicated plot. However, this book would be suitable for mature younger children if an adult was reading it to them. I enjoyed the added aspect of a k-9 dog to the murder mystery. I liked the author's writing style and felt that she did an amazing job spinning a tale of murder without adult concepts.

Sunday, May 22, 2022

OPEN SEASON FOR MURDER

"There's lots of drama, crimes, murder, and laughter that surrounds the Diablo Ball. As usual, Gnarly is in the middle of everything. Hated to have to keep putting this down. I loved reading Open Season for Murder." - review by Rhonda Laney, readalot

"Mac Faraday does it again! I loved every minute!" - 5-star review by Texanne

CLICK ON BOOK COVER TO LEARN MORE

Book Details:

Book Title: Open Season for Murder by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 10)
Category: Adult fiction (18+), 318 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: June 1, 2015
Format available for review: Audible download, ebook (mobi, epub, PDF)
Tour dates: March 28 to June 24, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 - Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex.There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Buy the Book:
Audible ~ Amazon
B&N ~ BookBub
Add to Goodreads

My Review

Open Season for Murder by Lauren Carr was a great addition to eh series!! James C. Lewis did a simply phenomenal job with the narration especially as he went between the different characters' voices. I really liked the way a cold case was used and how someone invited a bunch of people connected to the case to the Diablo Ball. It made me keep listening to find out who invited them, if the victim was actually dead, and how Mac would solve the case!

Friday, May 20, 2022

WHAT MAKES ME..ME by Anne Baldwin

Book Details:

Book Title: What Makes Me...Me by Anne Baldwin
Category: Children's Fictions (ages 3-7), 34 pages
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Anne Baldwin
Release date: June 2021
Formats Available for Review: print - softback (USA only), e-book PDF
Tour dates: May 2 to May 20, 2022
Content Rating: G -Suitable for everyone.

Book Description:

What Makes Me...Me is a story about harnessing your super powered brain. We are all special and unique and our differences are what make us all special. What Makes Me...Me was written especially for those kids with neurological differences, their families, and their friends.

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon ~ indiebound
add to goodreads

Meet the Author:

Anne Baldwin is a wife, mom, and fierce advocate for neurodiverse kids. Anne wrote her first book What Makes Me...Me after her son Levi was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Passionate about stopping the stigma around Tourette-Syndrome, Anne hopes that her books about embracing your differences as what makes you unique will help kids with Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, and other neurological disorders to feel included and accepted by everyone. Anne lives in metro-Detroit with her husband Nick, their sons Levi and Gus, 3 cats, a dog, and a leopard gecko.

connect with the author: website ~ instagram

My Review

WHAT MAKES ME..ME by Anne Baldwin is a great kids' book that helps kids to understand that being different is okay. This would be a great classroom reading book for classes that have students with ADHD, ADD, autism, or other such conditions. It does a good job of helping kids to understand while also keeping them interested!

Monday, May 16, 2022

BLUSTER BLUE JAY: NOT MY FAULT!

Book Details:

Book Title: Bluster Blue Jay: Not My Fault! - Teaching Values to Children in a Fun Way by Mother Melania Salem
Category: Children's Fictions (ages 3-7), 36 pages
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Holy Assumption Monastery
Release date: November 2021
Formats Available for Review: print - softback (USA and Canada), e-book (GIFTED KINDLE, MOBI FILE (FOR KINDLE), PDF)
Tour dates: May 2 to May 22, 2022
Content Rating: G - This is a wholesome children's book.

Book Description:

Bluster Blue Jay is not the easiest bird to be around. Nothing ever works for him, but it's never HIS fault! When he joins Fearless and Grateful on their camping trip, can they be patient with him? And will he learn a lesson about accepting blame? Join them and find out!

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon

Meet the Author:

Mother Melania is the Abbess of Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga, CA. She grew up in a house that always had tons of children around, her poor parents had to read to her till they were hoarse, and from the moment she learned to read, she always had her nose in a book. So, it was only natural for her to grow up to write children's books. In her books, she strives to teach virtue in a fun, non-preachy way.

connect with the author: Amazon

My Review

Bluster Blue Jay: Not My Fault! - Teaching Values to Children in a Fun Way by Mother Melania Salem was a great kids' book. I loved the cute pictures and the way the author made the story both interesting to kids and educational. It did a good job on teaching kids the need for patience and for accepting blame for ones own actions.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr

"Five Stars. A Wedding and a Killing has lots of action, suspense, murders, mysteries and humor." - Review by Rhonda Laney, readalot

"There is actually a mystery within a mystery in Carr's new book. It's a tangled, twisting adventure that adds more dead bodies along the way. Carr's characters are lively, her plots complex, there is always just enough humor to set a lighter tone." - Review by Allene Reynolds, Mystery and Me

CLICK ON BOOK COVER TO LEARN MORE

Book Details:

Book Title: A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 8)
Category: Adult fiction (18+), 275 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: September 13, 2014
Format available for review: Audible download, ebook (mobi, epub, PDF)
Tour dates: March 28 to June 24, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 - Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex.There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Buy the Book:
Audible ~ Amazon
B&N ~ BookBub
Add to Goodreads

My Review

A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr is the eighth book in the series and it was another great fit with the rest of the series! In this on
Mac Faraday and Archie Monday, decide to elope at a church where his ancestors had all gotten married, however, Gnarly's finding of a dead body puts a kink in the plans of holy matrimony. I really enjoyed the wedding theme of this one and the role that Gnarly played!

Sunday, May 8, 2022

TWELVE TO MURDER

"Twelve To Murder is a clever blend of comedy, mystery, and sappy love story. Lauren Carr does a good job of moving the quirky storyline along nicely with an abundance of witty dialogue. And you have no idea who the good guys are and who the bad guys are until the end." - Review by Every Free Chance Book Reviews.

"This suspenseful book was filled with twists, turns, and lots of action! The Mac Faraday series is an amazing read for a mystery lover, but Twelve to Murder can stand alone if you have not read any other books in its series. Lauren definitely knows how to bring you into the story and leaves you wanting more!" - Review by Debbie Hill, Miss Book Lovers

CLICK ON BOOK COVER TO LEARN MORE

Book Details:

Book Title: Twelve to Murder by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 7)
Category: Adult fiction (18+), 266 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: February 9, 2014
Format available for review: Audible download, ebook (mobi, epub, PDF)
Tour dates: March 28 to June 24, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 - Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex.There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Buy the Book:
Audible ~ Amazon
B&N ~ BookBub
Add to Goodreads

My Review

Twelve to Murder by Lauren Carr is the seventh book in the A Mac Faraday Mystery series and it was a great addition to the series. Recently I have been listening to a lot of audio books in this series and so far this one is my current favorite of the series. I just really liked the quirky storyline and the way it made me laugh while also keeping me invested in trying to figure out the mystery!

THE GHOST MARRIAGE

Inside the Book

Title: THE GHOST MARRIAGE
Author: Kirsten Mickelwait
Publisher: She Writes Press
Pages: 344
Genre: Paranormal/Memoir

BOOK BLURB:

Kirsten, at age 31, meets and marries Steve Beckwith, a handsome and successful attorney. Twenty-two years later, Steve becomes unemployed and addicted to opioids, using money and their two children to emotionally blackmail Kirsten. What’s more, he’s been having an affair with their real estate agent, who is also her close friend. Soon after their divorce is finalized, Steve is diagnosed with colon cancer and dies within a year, leaving Kirsten with $1.5 million in debts she knew nothing about. As she fights toward recovery, Kirsten begins to receive communications from Steve in the afterlife―which lead her on an unexpected path to forgiveness.

“A skillfully written, thought-provoking account that positively reconsiders an antagonist as an important teacher.”
―Kirkus Reviews

“What if you accidentally married your worst enemy? With unflinching honesty and hard-earned grace, Kirsten Mickelwait peels the shiny façade off her catastrophic marriage to reveal how she not only survived the lies, betrayals, and lawsuits, but also found her way to compassion. If you don’t think on your ex fondly, The Ghost Marriage will teach you why you should.”
―Meredith May, author of The Honey Bus and Loving Edie

“The Ghost Marriage is an absorbing tale about what happens when you marry Prince Charming and the expected ‘Happily Ever After’ erodes into a kind of ‘Cursed Ever After.’ It’s a story of survival, of adjusted ambition, of how to be quick on your feet when your daily foundation crumbles in midlife.”
―Julia Scheeres, author of Jesusland and A Thousand Lives

“With The Ghost Marriage, Kirsten Mickelwait―in bracing, unsentimental prose― brings us in close to the disturbing history of her troubled marriage. It’s abundantly satisfying to watch her move through each crisis toward new compassion―for herself, but also for her deceased ex-husband.”
―Angela Pneuman, author of Lay It on My Heart and Home Remedies

“By turns hilarious, lyrical, suspenseful, and touching, Kirsten Mickelwait’s memoir pulls us into the whirlpool of her unique marriage―then spits us out into the dazzling light of what that marriage came to mean. Supremely well written, and with a captivating honesty.”
―Veronica Chater, author of Waiting for the Apocalypse

Book Information

Release Date: Audiobook releases April 12, 2022

Publisher: She Writes Press

Amazon: Paperback https://amzn.to/3tYLlcs

MEET THE AUTHOR

Kirsten Mickelwait is a professional copywriter and editor by day and a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction by night. She’s an alumna of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, the Paris Writers’ Conference, and the San Francisco Writers’ Conference. Her short story, “Parting with Nina,” won first prize in The Ledge’s 2004 Fiction Awards Competition. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she’s working on a new novel.

Her latest book is the paranormal memoir, The Ghost Marriage.

You can visit her website at www.kirstenmickelwait.com or connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook.

My Review

I personally greatly enjoyed the story presented to me in THE GHOST MARRIAGE. The author did a simply phenomenal job in getting me engaged in the story to the point that it was painful to take breaks from it. I really liked Kirsten and how easy it was to both like and sympathize with her.

Friday, May 6, 2022

THE BONES OF AMORET by Arthur Herbert

Book Details:

Book Title: The Bones of Amoret - A Novel by Arthur Herbert
Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 320 pages
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: Stitched Smile Publications
Release Date: April 2022
Length: 10 hours, 59 minutes.
Format available for review: audible download code
Tour dates: May 2 to May 13
Content Rating: PG-13 - no sex, explicit or otherwise; almost all violence is off-screen; mild profanity

Book Description:

In this enigmatic follow up to his critically acclaimed debut novel The Cuts that Cure, Arthur Herbert returns to the Texas-Mexico border with this saga of a small town’s bloody loss of innocence.

Amoret, Texas, 1982. Life along the border is harsh, but in a world where cultures work together to carve a living from the desert landscape, Blaine Beckett lives a life of isolation. A transplanted Boston intellectual, for twenty years locals have viewed him as a snob, a misanthrope, an outsider. He seems content to stand apart until one night when he vanishes into thin air amid signs of foul play.

Noah Grady, the town doctor, is a charming and popular good ol’ boy. He’s also a keeper of secrets, both the town’s and his own. He watches from afar as the mystery of Blaine’s disappearance unravels and rumors fly. Were the incipient cartels responsible? Was it a local with a grudge? Or did Blaine himself orchestrate his own disappearance? Then the unthinkable happens, and Noah begins to realize he’s considered a suspect.

Paced like a lit fuse and full of dizzying plot twists, The Bones of Amoret is a riveting whodunit that will keep you guessing all the way to its shocking conclusion.

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon ~ Audible
add to goodreads

Meet the Author:

Arthur Herbert was born and raised in small town Texas. He worked on offshore oil rigs, as a bartender, a landscaper at a trailer park, and as a social worker before going to medical school. He chose to do a residency in general surgery, followed by a fellowship in critical care and trauma surgery. For the last eighteen years, he’s worked as a trauma and burn surgeon, operating on all ages of injured patients. He continues to run a thriving practice.

He's won multiple awards for his scientific writing, and his first novel, The Cuts that Cure, spent ten days as an Amazon #1 Best Seller. His second novel, The Bones of Amoret, will be released on April 1, 2022 through Stitched Smile Publishers. Arthur currently lives in New Orleans, with his wife Amy and their dogs.

connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ goodreads

My Review

I personally found The Bones of Amoret - A Novel by Arthur Herbert to be a very well written book, and a simply amazing audio book. The narrator did a great job with the audio effect and I liked how the different voices were done. It really allowed me to create images of the characters in my head as I listened to the story!

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Ticket to Ride

Title: TICKET TO RIDE
Author: Winona Kent
Publisher: Blue Devil Books
Pages: 230
Genre: Mystery / Amateur Sleuth

BOOK BLURB:

In Lost Time, the third book in Winona’s Jason Davey Mystery series, professional musician / amateur sleuth Jason Davey was rehearsing for Figgis Green’s 50th Anniversary Tour of England. Now they’re on the road in Ms. Kent’s fourth book in the series, Ticket To Ride.

But when a fortune-teller in Sheffield warns them of impending danger, the band is suddenly plagued by a series of seemingly-unrelated mishaps.

After Jason is attacked and nearly killed in Cambridge, and a fire alarm results in a very personal theft from Mandy’s hotel room, it becomes clear they’re being targeted by someone with a serious grudge.

And when Figgis Green plays a gig at a private estate in Tunbridge Wells, that person finally makes their deadly intentions known.

Jason must rely on his instincts, his Instagram “guardian angel,” and a wartime ghost who might possibly share his DNA, in order to survive.

Book Information

Release Date: March 26, 2022

Publisher: Blue Devil Books

Soft Cover: 978-1777329433; 230 pages; $15.70; E-Book, $3.93

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3i0xRqY

Barnes & Noble
Paperback
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ticket-to-ride-winona-kent/1141097853?ean=9781777329433
Ebook
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ticket-to-ride-winona-kent/1141097853?ean=9781777329426

Apple Books
https://books.apple.com/ca/book/ticket-to-ride/id1612423905

Kobo
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/ticket-to-ride-17

Amazon Canada
Paperback
https://www.amazon.ca/Ticket-Ride-Winona-Kent/dp/1777329434
Ebook
https://www.amazon.ca/Ticket-Ride-Winona-Kent-ebook/dp/B09SZ2LRV6

Amazon US
Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Ticket-Ride-Winona-Kent/dp/1777329434
Ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Ticket-Ride-Winona-Kent-ebook/dp/B09SZ2LRV6

Amazon UK
Paperback
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ticket-Ride-Winona-Kent/dp/1777329434
Ebook
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ticket-Ride-Winona-Kent-ebook/dp/B09SZ2LRV6

MEET THE AUTHOR

Winona Kent is an award-winning author who was born in London, England and grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, where she completed her BA in English at the University of Regina. After moving to Vancouver, she graduated from UBC with an MFA in Creative Writing. More recently, she received her diploma in Writing for Screen and TV from Vancouver Film School.

Winona’s writing breakthrough came many years ago when she won First Prize in the Flare Magazine Fiction Contest with her short story about an all-night radio newsman, Tower of Power.

Her spy novel Skywatcher was a finalist in the Seal Books First Novel Competition and was published in 1989. This was followed by a sequel, The Cilla Rose Affair, and her first mystery, Cold Play, set aboard a cruise ship in Alaska.

After three time-travel romances (Persistence of Memory, In Loving Memory and Marianne’s Memory), Winona returned to mysteries with Disturbing the Peace, a novella, in 2017 and the novel Notes on a Missing G-String in 2019, both featuring the character she first introduced in Cold Play, professional jazz musician / amateur sleuth Jason Davey.

The third book in Winona’s Jason Davey Mystery series, Lost Time, was published in 2020.

Ticket to Ride is the fourth book in Winona’s Jason Davey Mysteries.

Winona has been a temporary secretary, a travel agent, a screenwriter and the Managing Editor of a literary magazine. She’s currently the BC/YK/NWT rep for the Crime Writers of Canada and is also an active member of Sisters n Crime – Canada West. She recently retired from her full-time admin job at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, and is now happily embracing life as a full-time author.

You can visit her website at http://www.winonakent.com and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

My Review

Ticket to Ride was a great read! The book really pulled me in with the danger Jason ended up being in after the fortune teller warned them all. I really liked the concept of his Instagram “guardian angel,” and the wartime ghost. These two elements really set the book above all others for me as it gave it a unique feel that I quite enjoyed!!