Monthly Archives: May 2015

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Grueling, heart wrenching, inspirational

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WITH ANGEL’S WINGS   Stephanie A. Collins

With Angel’s Wings is the true story of Laura, a young wife and mother of a three-year-old daughter. Her husband, Kevin, a marine, is deployed overseas, leaving Laura to give birth to their second daughter and handle the two young children on her own.

Thirteen days after the birth of her youngest, the pediatrician detects a heart murmur. That leads to just the first of multiple diagnoses for both of her daughters, sending Laura on an unexpected and emotional journey into the world of parenting medically-fragile, special needs children.

Right when Laura fears she will break under the incredible pressure, she encounters the beauty of true love, in a most unexpected and unconventional way.

Available on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: As tough, draining and, at times, horrific the experiences depicted in in this story are, they also take us to the title and how angelically blessed our lives can be. My deepest feeling after reading this wonderfully told story is a warm and fuzzy kind of envy. I’m so happy for Laura to have been gifted these children. As gutsy as she has been to nurture and care for them, she deserves every ounce of the love you get from family – the harder the circumstances the more intense and fulfilling that love can be… To the way this story is written – it’s direct and fast moving with enough detail to educate us and give us an appreciation for what is happening. I’m glad the medical info wasn’t glossed over because it is a huge part of the story. The romance is sweet and real. This pair deserve each other, and that’s saying something… This is a fantastic book – definitely grueling, absolutely heart wrenching, and from cover to cover – inspirational.

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Excellent romantic thriller

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Chaney McBride faces losing the one thing she loves most, her ranch. Jed Sampson faces the possibility of losing his young daughter in a nasty custody battle. Chaney and Jed have a history and it isn’t a pleasant one. After years of not seeing each other, fate steps in and throws them together at her sister’s wedding.
To save her ranch, Chaney needs a husband in order to claim her inheritance. Jed needs a wife to increase his chances of winning his custody battle. They were always attracted to each other. Sparks fly between the two immediately, but is it passion waiting to be rekindled or the hate two lovers feel after a bad breakup?
With her father’s death, problems at the ranch and her sister’s wedding, Chaney is running out of time. The demands set forth in her father’s will stipulate she must be married by her thirtieth birthday, which is only a week away.
Jed, having returned home for the first time in years, is considering making it permanent. He needs to start his woodworking business and build a home for his young daughter.
As if that isn’t enough for two people to deal with, along with figuring out their feelings for one another, they run into suspicious problems at Chaney’s ranch, a surprise two-week visit from Jed’s daughter, his uncle has a heart attack, and Chaney has a run-in with rustlers which leaves her hospitalized.
Will they be able to survive the obstacles fate throws their way? Could they be the answer to each other’s problems? Is it possible to forget the past and help each other? Only time will tell, and the secrets they’ve kept from each other may come back to haunt them.

BOOK REVIEW: What a mess our two protagonists have gotten into here. Poor choices made in youth, the forces of family against them, pride and lack of communication… a decade later they are thrust back together – more than thrust – make that hitched! Well, as a reader you kind of hope they’ll be reasonable, rational adults and figure this out… Yeah right! No chance! What follows is sizzling hot but no smooth ride at all. There is the intrigue of the past to unravel while the complications of the present deepen and lead us into a thrilling climax and confrontation. The setting is contemporary but edged in the danger and romance of the old west. As far as angst and drama go, this book is full throttle all the way. By the time we get to the conclusion we really need it – and we think we’ve got it at one point only to be beaten back and made to wait a bit longer… If you like a story that gets you all kinds of on edge, try this one!

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A Lot of Wisdom Here

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shaheen

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First in the series of poems and reflections based on various aspects of life. Inspirational insight and questions about nature, love, life and death. We are all on the same journey in life but each soul has its unique insight of it, this is mine.

BOOK REVIEW: What I take from Soul Searching is simplicity. Not that nature and human nature are anything short of vastly complex – but that the key is always simplicity. To stop and feel the truth settle over you. To give in to the simplicity of nature’s will… Of course, it is often so hard to see things clearly in life. This series of wise and insightful poems offer a lot of hope and comfort. They also ask some very meaningful questions.

Here are a list of my favourites: Board Game. No Regrets. Who Says? Old Soul. A Promise. Seasons of life. Forgive us Mother. The Whisperer.

And the individual ideas that intrigued me most:
Go on and Seek: Go on, dare yourself and then do. Your life owes it to you.
Nature’s Songs: The richness of a dark starry night. Silence, yet pregnant with promises of a new day….
Death: Her life she had lived it well, no soul she had hurt no lies did she tell.
Heartbeats: But feelings have a home in our hearts, good or bad.
Innocence: Touching in its simplicity.
Rewind Button: We cannot undo the moment that just passed.
The Well of Hope: She looks up, tired eyes searching for respite. Dried out clouds offer her no hope, no shade.
Rain: Finally it rained and the earth drank its fill.
Hope: Hope has left her heart. A place too dark for it to survive.
Seasons of Life: The soul, too tired to remember its past. Now sits in the dark, awaiting a new chapter.
Self Acceptance: Self acceptance can grow in the rockiest of gardens.
Self Acceptance: Your life meant just for you, and no other.
The Whisperer: The one that makes the glitter in gold. Overshadow everything else in the world.

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Non Stop Wit

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Corpses say

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It was a simple job: keep surveillance on the minister’s wife until she went safely to bed. Then all hell broke loose.

The death of Katherine Delp, wife of Chicago’s most beloved televangelist, is only the beginning. Someone is homiciding their way through the congregation of the Temple of Majesty Church. Thanks to his eager and awkward young secretary, private eye Nod Blake, an aging throwback to a by-gone era of detecting on the mean streets, a dinosaur who never got the memo he was extinct, who sometimes thinks he’s Bogart, George Raft, and Lee Marvin rolled into one, has been dumped in the middle of it all, on his head.

The resulting injuries have somehow opened the door to the hereafter. Blake believes dead people are talking to him. Are the victims really begging the last gumshoe for help from the other side of the grave? Is he hallucinating? Or has he lost his friggin’ mind? When his nemesis, Detective Lieutenant Wenders finds evidence that Blake is the murderer, the private dick’s life becomes a great big soup sandwich.

Corpses Say the Darndest Things is a paranormal murder mystery with a sly sense of humor, set in 1979 Chicago where a maniacal killer on the loose in The Windy City… is the good news.

BOOK REVIEW: Tremendous imagery… in this book you are along for the ride inside the head of an irreverent, wise-cracking private eye on the trail of a murderer or two. It’s a solid who-done-it with a good twist in its tale. There’s a dash of the supernatural, which our down-to-earth, straight shooting (although gun-less) hero is completely unsuited to dealing with. There’s a whole lot of great stuff here: The depiction of his mother is brilliant. The clashes with an adversarial detective. Nod Blake’s assistant, our heroine, makes this book in the end… This is a terrific read – had me flicking pages, chuckling all the while, and powering on to find out what was going to happen next.

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Clueless in love

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Jen is the clumsy, bug phobic, music loving owner of
Sweet Dreams Café in the small town of Maple Grove. She spends most of her time
working, occasionally dating, and is generally content and happy.

When Jen unexpectedly finds herself in an elevator with
Jacob Walker, A-list actor and sexiest man alive, she catches her breath, smiles
politely, wishes him a good day, and amazingly keeps the encounter with the
megastar to herself.

Showing up a month later at Sweet Dreams, Jake orders a
coffee and blueberry muffin to-go from Jen herself, leaving her dumbfounded and
feeling like an infatuated fangirl.

The two form an unlikely friendship over coffee and
conversation while he films on location.

Knowing Jake won’t be in town forever, Jen keeps her
attraction and her feelings for Jake to herself. She knows once he finishes
filming he will leave, and life will go on as usual.

Or will it?

Under different circumstances could the friendship
between Jen and Jake blossom into something more or is it all just Sweet Dreams?

BOOK REVIEW: This is a brilliant slow burn to a heart, mind and body shattering climax. Meeting a famous actor – a super hot one of the opposite sex – would be a dream come true, right? But how would you really respond? I think this little story nails reality. Our heroine knows from the outset exactly where her place is – where an ordinary person fits in the world of a movie star. The way her feelings overwhelm her logic is crafted to perfection. What a ride! This is obviously a story for the ladies but it wouldn’t be hard to reverse the roles and imagine being an ordinary guy with a real chance of snagging a screen beauty. The brilliance in this story is in the hunt and the chase. And it isn’t either of our protagonists doing the hunting or chasing. No, they’re both hopeless cases… This is about how love doesn’t let up until Jen, Jake and us readers are at its mercy. Then it really gets going! Awesome read.

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Plenty to get you thinking here

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A GRIPPING SUPERNATURAL THRILLER – Book 1 of the MORIUM TRILOGY

If you had the powers to avenge yourself… would you?
Bullied… Years of shame… Lexi and Nathan knew pain.

MORIUM is the story of Alexandria and Nathan… and Stacy. Three teenagers who were victims of bullying all through high school. They kept their torment a secret from their family and tried to cope in their own way. They only had each other. Their friendship saw them through the seemingly endless years of suffering.

But hope was in sight… they will be graduating soon. The vision of a new life away from the bullies and the constant humiliation, gave them something to look forward to. If only that day came sooner.

One night, Lexi and Nathan saw an object fall from the sky and went to investigate. As they touched the rock, a strange power entered their bodies. Suddenly, they’re not helpless anymore. They can get revenge for all the suffering and pain they had to endure.

How will they use these powers?

MORIUM discusses the moral dilemma of doing what’s right against getting revenge. When your dignity has been shattered and your life has been a living hell… what is RIGHT?

BOOK REVIEW: Good versus evil, but wait a minute – not so simple. Two victims of bullying suddenly being bestowed with awesome powers… What better test of character and inner strength than to see how they each respond? How these two youths are transformed (or not) by this ‘gift’ is handled in an intelligent and complex way. Understanding the origin and ultimate purpose of this force is shaping as an intriguing supernatural thriller. One aspect of this power I’m finding particularly interesting is the sensing/exposing/manipulating of people’s emotions, and how this sword is double edged, with the loss of control happening inwardly as well. This volume ends in a blaze of action – the scene set for who-knows-what next… The main characters here are young adults, but I’d recommend a youthful spirit of adventure is all that’s needed to enjoy this story.

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Great character and reveal

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Say my name delves into the world of Demolition – but only a little, as it is the world of Hades that really interferes with Billy Carter’s life.
What is SHE hiding, and how will that affect her brothers, her boss’ brother Bastian and his sister Dana?

How do you deal with being an Contact Empath, in a brutal world?
She is a petite girl – looking like Betty Boob – if all things are to be believed. Silent, mostly withdrawn, and looking for a new job as a Demolition Expert. She does not like to be touched, for a very good reason. She fights in a pub called “Devil’s Tears Inn” for more than just her life.
Her name? Billy Carter,

He is her boss’ brother. A big, bulk of a man who loves blowing things up. He has a little black book full of names – names of girls he use, to avoid his own feelings. He is a serious man who likes to carry his own weight.
His name? Bastian Goldwen.
Straight foward right? Maybe not.

Bastian and Billy belong together, that much is clear – but what about Asmodai? The Demon Prince of Lust who’s hankered after Billy from the day she was born? What is the story behind the three-headed dog – Cerberus – and his Mother?
This is a novella, tied in to the Second Breath Series, but a stand-alone read. It has all the elements of Paranormal, Fantasy Romance – without the heat but perhaps a few roller-coaster rides.
Expect the unexpected with this one – and treasure the expected, because the journey is nothing short of a fairytale.
Sex: No.
Expletives: Indicated with squiggles and suggested.
Humour: Plenty.
Drama: Some.
Fantasy: Absolutely.
Book 4 in the Second Breath Chronicles, though it is a stand alone.

BOOK REVIEW: Billy is fantastic. You have to like your main character, and you usually do – sometimes more so than others. One of the outstanding features of this book is how completely likable the heroine is. Another outstanding feature of this story is the reveal. I picked up this book with no idea of what to expect. Imagine a striking cover – pick it up, open it and start reading. Well, in this case the story started with this fascinating character. It hooked me, led me along and completely shocked me with where it went… I’m not even going to talk about ‘where it went’ in any detail because the reveal itself is so well done and interesting. I will say that ‘where it went’ was an adventure into something brilliantly imagined. It was a powerful thriller and a nice romance. I can strongly recommend Say my Name.

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Frigging Hell

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The Deadly Caress

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The Deadly Caress is a fast-paced story set in California. Suspenseful and thrilling, it is holds a mystery that Amanda Blake, a freelance photographer, must unravel.

Amanda tracks down her birth mother, the multi millionaire Jean Campbell. Hours after her arrival, Jean is murdered.

Amanda sets out to discover her mother’s killer. Her quest takes to Australia to find the man she thinks holds the answer to the killer’s identity. While visiting this man, she has to run for her life under a hail of bullets. Someone will stop at nothing until she is dead. If she thought things were bad enough, they are about to get much worse…

BOOK REVIEW: This doesn’t let up. Heart pounding, nail biting… if you’re looking for a relaxing read – this ain’t it! This is masterly suspense and a great thriller. You want to climb into the book and help out the goodies – save them from the relentless bad guys, whoever they are. It’s not clear exactly who to fear until the end. The who-done-it is brilliant. Get comfy because you won’t be putting this book down, although you’re likely going to be pacing the room while you read rather than relaxing in a chair…

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Crime & Romance sweet and hot

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Psychic Selene Johansen is an excellent police investigator, able to determine guilt from the first handshake.

While her talent for fact-finding keeps her busy, her personal life is lonely. After all, who wants to date a girl who can read minds? But Selene’s consuming solitude dissolves when she learns longtime friend Brandon Price knows about her psychic gift … and her secret love for him.

As their relationship heats up, Selene dares let her guard down, not realizing that a ruthless stalker is determined to put an end to the couple’s passion… and their lives.

BOOK REVIEW: The supernatural blends nicely into a true-to-life romantic thriller. This is a story that remains grounded in the real world while cleverly spicing up powerful police drama with an extrasensory component. The spicing up doesn’t end there either. Woven through the intrigue is a sweet romance that gets plenty steamy. If you think making sweet love can’t be sizzling hot, you might need to have a look at the way this author writes it…. Love and crime in a superbly detailed story that brings your surroundings into high definition. The hero and heroine in this one are regular people, as true-to-life as the romance and crime thriller they are embroiled in. Everything about this story reads real, true and classy.

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Hypnotically Good

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terrible me

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The Emerald Thief holds your gaze, turning your thoughts into her own. There’s no stopping the string of robberies that follow her. Until she meets Rebecca, a detective, someone with the same emerald green eyes as her. She can’t understand why she’s trying to help her and not just arresting her like she should. What are Rebecca’s plans for Emerald Thief? Will she survive them?

BOOK REVIEW: This sharp, quirky little story is kind of like the lead character in it. You don’t really have a choice – you just have to go along with everything you’re being told. It’s hypnotic. It’s fun and really interesting. I’d defy anyone to read a few pages of this and stop reading. You absolutely have to know what’s going to become of the emerald eyed thief girl… What does become of her – where this story goes – is a total surprise. The writer tackles a subject here that is always kind of strange and confusing, but she keeps it simple and does it very well. I always loved the Twilight Zone series. This little story would fit right in there and be one of the best of them.