Tyrant Trouble Review

Tyrant Trouble (Mudflat Magic Book 1)

By Phoebe Matthews

"...Mudflat series is a supernatural comic romp full of non-stop action, fantastic characters and a hero you’ll love..." 4.5 rating, RT Book Reviews magazine
This first novel of the Mudflat Magic series won the Eppie for Best Fantasy of the Year.At the corner of Seattle and Otherworld, magic meets mayhem.

When a conman wants you as the patsy for a crime, you run, right? That’s what Claire decides. She makes it out of Seattle and into the arms of an Otherworld barbarian. Not much improvement there. One aims a gun, the other swings a broadsword. The barbarian’s world is filled with so much terror, it makes the conman and his threats look easy.

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MY REVIEW

Claire seems to always pick the wrong type of guy. Since she was good at reading astrological charts, they only wanted to use her for their gain. Hiding from the latest creep, she somehow crosses a dimension into a world of barbaric kings and wizardry.

This was an interesting read to say the least. The story was well-written and the characters believable. Although there was no ending, I didn’t mind because the continuing story left me wanting more.

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**The above opinions are 100% my own, whether I purchased the book or it was given to me to review.

Emma Frost Mystery Series: Vol. 1-5 Book Review

Emma Frost Mystery Series: Vol. 1-5

By Willow Rose

A modern MURDER SHE WROTE

˃˃˃ ITSY BITSY SPIDER (Emma Frost Book 1):

Emma Frost inherits a house on Fanoe Island when her grandmother dies. She decides to move there with her family, much to her teenage-daughter's regret. One morning a wealthy old woman in her street is found murdered and soon Emma finds herself wrapped in a mystery uncovering the island's dark secrets that not only runs deep within the history of the island but also within her own family.

˃˃˃ MISS POLLY HAD A DOLLY (Emma Frost Book 2):

Miss Polly had a dolly. A beautiful daughter that she called her Baby Doll. Every day she dressed her in dresses and brushed her hair before they went outside to show off to the neighbors. On the playground one day her Baby Doll talked to a boy, and for one unforgivable second, Miss Polly let herself be distracted by a woman telling her how adorable she thought her daughter was. When Miss Polly finally turned to look for her Baby Doll, she was gone.

Many years later Emma Frost hears about the disappearance of the little girl and learns that she is not the only one to have gone missing from Fanoe Island back in the nineties. As she digs deeper into the story, she soon finds herself entangled in a web of strange and very disturbing events.

˃˃˃ RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN (Emma Frost Book 3):

Simone Beaumont is having a rough day. She is exhausted. Her baby is crying non-stop, she is in a fight with her husband and hasn't spoken to him since last night. A big part of her want to just leave everything. To run away from it all. To vanish. She is considering it while putting her screaming baby in her car seat when suddenly she meets a man in the parking lot who without asking her makes her wish come true.

Emma Frost has just come home from a trip to Eastern Europe when the body of Simone Beaumont is being found. It turns out she was part of Sophia's mothers’ group and soon the small group is shaken by yet another disappearance.

˃˃˃ CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE TO DIE (Emma Frost Book 4)

We all know that high school reunions can be a daunting and sometimes horrifying experience. Well, for Emma Frost that is exactly what it becomes when she is invited to meet with all of her old classmates at a desolated hotel in the most Northern part of Denmark. Soon, she will learn that there was more to this reunion than just them catching up on old times as a dark secret from their mutual past is revealed.

Fasten your seatbelt as Willow Rose takes you on a crazy and very surprising ride.

˃˃˃ PEEK A BOO, I SEE YOU (Emma Frost Book 5)

The body of a woman found in front of Nordby City Hall has a message for Emma Frost carved into the skin. Behind this ruthless murder stands a ghostly figure that likes to play childish games. Soon, this killer brings a reign of terror to the small Danish Island and especially to the life of Emma Frost.

While Emma's personal life is in a mess, she also has to hunt down a cruel predator who seems to be targeting people with serious mental illnesses.

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MY REVIEW

This is a collection of the first five books of the Emma Frost mystery series. Emma inherited her grandmother’s old home on an island in a picture-perfect town. Of course, each of the stories has a killer (or two) that somehow ends up connected to Emma.

The way the stories are laid out, you slowly learn each characters’ secrets, making it fun trying to guess which one was the true culprit. That’s how I like a mystery to be. This is a great series to read.

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**The above opinions are 100% my own, whether I purchased the book or it was given to me to review.

Hearts Under Fire Review

Hearts Under Fire

By Antonio Scotto di Carlo

2. 
   

Jenny is a beautiful young businesswoman. She lives in an Italian tourist town where she owns a shop. Her need for independence is her strength, but her innate distrust sometimes creates problems with others.

One day she encounters love. More than an encounter, it’s a collision, a head-on collision. Her heart isn’t Eros’s only target, and everything changes …

Police begin investigating suspicious events around her, slowing down the construction of a new great hotel in town and rocking her life even more.
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MY REVIEW

Jenny Salvini liked being independent and was determined to stay that way. Once her boyfriend Andre reluctantly reconciled to that fact he won her over and she accepted his proposal. After Andre is murdered, Christian enters Jenny’s life, as the detective assigned to the investigation.

I like the way this story delved deeper into the characters than just as a poignant love story. The twists kept me interested and aware that more was going on than meets the eye. I liked Jenny’s independence and how she stuck to her guns to keep it. This was well worth the read.

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** I received this book without obligation, and have volunteered to share my review. The above unbiased opinions are 100% my own.

Review of They Come at Night by Nick Clausen

They Come at Night

By Nick Clausen

Four teenagers. A cottage by the beach. A scary secret kept by the locals. And those who come at night ...

A classic horror story in a gothic setting told in a modern voice, They Come at Night has sold several thousand copies worldwide. 

“Fun, creepy and thrilling! Wauw, it was a good book!”
★★★★★ The Book Experience

“A refreshing read that will quench any book lovers’ thirst for horror”
★★★★★ Price Girls

“A true pleasure to read—I just couldn’t put it down!”
★★★★★ Goodreads Reviewer
 

They Come at Night has everything for fans of horror, mystery, thrills and suspense. For fans of The Fog, The Mist, Dead Sea and Lovecraftian tales.

              

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MY REVIEW

Jayden was staying the weekend with his friends Richard, Max and Sienna, at a beach cottage owned by Richard’s parents. On the first day Sienna cut her foot, Max found a skeleton, and Jaden met a boy named Chris. Chris reluctantly told Jayden a wild story about needing protection from the people of the sea. Jaden had no idea of what Chris was talking about and just thought he was weird. But, by the next night, he discovers the truth about the danger that the locals never speak about.

I enjoyed this eerie, short story. It was written in the same tradition as all other stories involving teens on their own, on a weekend getaway, with an unimaginable horror happening. Even so, that didn’t take away the haunting, creepy feel that keeps you mesmerizingly interested. 

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** I received this book without obligation, and have volunteered to share my review. The above unbiased opinions are 100% my own.

Beneath By Maureen A. Miller

BENEATH

By Maureen A. Miller

It was Stella Gullaksen’s final break before starting her freshman year at college. Joining her best friend, Jill, and Jill's family aboard the STARKISSED, Stella wakes to a violent storm that capsizes the boat over a hundred miles off the New Jersey shore.
 
As the waves haul her under Stella knows that she is going to die. Instead, an unusual current drags her deep into the underwater canyons of the Atlantic Ocean. Powerless against the raging waters, she is suddenly sucked into a ventilated cave. One by one, Jill and her family also emerge in the sunken cavern.

With only a faulty diving flashlight to keep oblivion at bay Stella and her best friend's brother, Colin, search the cave in hope of finding a way back to the surface. What they discover, however, is that they are not alone. There are other survivors in this subterranean grotto–survivors spanning decades of maritime disasters.
 
Will this discovery prove salvation, or have they all been condemned to the same fate? A grim finale at the bottom of the sea?

On an alliance forged by friendship and attraction, Stella and Colin battle to escape the danger that lies beneath.

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MY REVIEW

Donald and Anne Wexler were on an overnight fishing trip, along with their son Colin and daughter Jill. As was normal, Jill’s best friend Stella had come along also. Before they returned, they encountered a sudden storm that capsized their boat. A strong current drags them down into an underwater cave. There they encounter others who have been trapped there for many years. But there’s something else there too. Something very dangerous.

I liked how the characters evolved throughout the story. The plot was different and easily held my interest. It had just the right amount of twists and mystery to keep me turning the pages.

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** I received this book without obligation, and have volunteered to share my review. The above unbiased opinions are 100% my own.

The Ghost and The Graveyard Review

The Ghost and The Graveyard 

By Genevieve Jack

 

Book 1 in the Knight Games series

Grateful Knight can’t catch a break. After a series of failed relationships, the last of which left her destitute, she takes advantage of her father’s offer to live rent-free in a property he hasn’t been able to sell. But feeling at home in a house on the edge of a graveyard isn’t easy, especially when things go bump in the night.

The only positive is the stunning cemetery caretaker, Rick. Despite her resolve to end her pattern of relationship mistakes, she literally can’t keep her hands off him. The intensity of her attraction seems almost...magical.

Once a spirit manifests on her staircase, Grateful can no longer deny that her house is haunted. Rick has a dark secret, and it has everything to do with her personal history, the house, and the spirit who warns her about both.

Feisty witches, seductive vampires, and swoon-worthy immortals come together in this page-turning paranormal romance/urban fantasy series.

**Due to explicit sexual content, language, and violence this book is recommended for ages 18+**

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MY REVIEW

Grateful Knight always seems to pick the wrong guy. Her last one broke her heart when he took all her money and left her in debt. Luckily, Grateful’s father, being a real estate mogul, offers her a house to live in while she gets back on her feet. The house is old but has plenty of character and privacy. Oh, and did I mention the resident ghosts, and the graveyard out back, and the gorgeous hunk of a caretaker?

I enjoyed this story immensely. It was entertaining and kept me interested throughout. I loved the characters and the plot they were involved in. This is going to be a great series for sure. 

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** I received this book without obligation, and have volunteered to share my review. The above unbiased opinions are 100% my own.

The Karma Kaper Review

The Karma Kaper

By Noel Anenberg

THE KARMA CAPER stars Walter Shore, naïve twin brother and business partner to Barry Shore, a “B” list Hollywood movie producer and shyster. An Armenian crime family invests $10 million into a Barry Shore Productions film. When the film never materializes the Armenians call the loan. When Barry doesn’t pay the Armenian’s juice men pickup unsuspecting Walter as he walks out of a dry cleaners on Larchmont. They drive Walter to a Glendale sausage factory and feed him alive into the meat grinder. Walter goes to heaven and comes back to Barry in the body of a Chihuahua who has to gather good karma to get his former life back. 

Frederick Delano Rubenstein (F.D.R.) is a hapless counterman at his father’s delicatessen across Melrose Avenue from Shore Productions. F.D.R.’s secret passion is to become a Hollywood screenwriter. When his father, the King of Corn Beef dies, FDR sells the deli, moves to Malibu, and agrees to write a script he once pitched to Barry Shore. There’s a twist. Barry Shore uses the script to borrow from Hasidic money launderers. Now, F.D.R. is the fall guy!

Barry convinces Walter that Walter will accrue good karma by shepherding F.D.R through the screenwriting process while he, Barry, stalls the Armenians and gets major studio backing. All chaos breaks loose as one scam and scheme follow Barry Shore, Walter his Chihuahua brother, F.D.R., the Armenians, the Hasidic money launderers, and the rest of us.

The reader will laugh at this farcical novel of love, life, and larceny. 

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MY REVIEW

Walter Shore is paying for the sins of his brother Barry. Barry is a Hollywood producer who makes his money signing up anyone who falls for his sleazy shtick. Walter is murdered by the Russians that Barry has cheated. In heaven, Walter gets a second chance and comes back as a Chihuahua. In order to regain his former life, Walter must build up good karma, but with Barry’s help, that task is not going to be easy.

I felt this story could use a bit more work on it. It definitely needed proof-reading. There were times that the chapter would end one way and the next one would leave a gap in the action. I did enjoy the story though. It was like a short comedy spoof. The adventure with the masseuse was comically well-descriptive and the best part of the book. I still laugh thinking about it. 

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** I received this book without obligation, and have volunteered to share my review. The above unbiased opinions are 100% my own.

Christmas at the Castle Review

Christmas at the Castle (Ever After series Book 3)

By Melissa McClone

A royal wedding. A meddlesome mother. An unexpected union.

A European getaway during the Christmas holiday is exactly what veterinarian Katrina "Kat" Parsons needs. She can't wait to be a bridesmaid in her childhood friend's royal wedding, but she hopes to steer clear of the bride's arrogant older brother.

Crown Prince Guillaume wants his younger sister's wedding day to be perfect, but he's suspicious of Kat. He and his mother on are on high alert, afraid Kat is not just there for the wedding, but also to find a prince of her own.

But when Kat's kindness and generosity prove them wrong, the prince realizes there's more to her than he ever imagined. Can he trust his heart or will he lose the one woman he can't live without?

The Ever After series
Book 1: The Honeymoon Prize
Book 2: The Cinderella Princess
Book 3: Christmas at the Castle

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MY REVIEW

Kat was raised by her grandparents while her parents explored, worked, and died in Africa. One year, at camp, she met siblings Sophie and Gill. She and Sophie became best friends, but Gill disliked Kat immediately and treated her as inferior. Kat knew the siblings came from England but not much more. Years later, Kat is to be included in Sophie’s wedding. But when she gets there, she is totally surprised when she discovers just how important these siblings are.

This story is for every girl who has dreamed of being a Princess, or finding her true Prince. I liked the plot a lot. These characters really came to life in true fairy tale form. It was a Hallmark movie in the making.

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**The above opinions are 100% my own, whether I purchased the book or it was given to me to review.

Still Kicking Review

Still Kicking: A Lainie Lovett Mystery (The Lainie Lovett Mysteries Book 1)

By Judith Arnold

Lainie Lovett has three passions: her two nearly-grown children, her fourth-grade students at the Hopwell School, and the Rockettes, her recreational soccer team. One evening after soccer practice, she’s startled to spot the husband of one of her teammates canoodling with another woman in a local eatery. She’s even more shocked when he turns up dead the next day. And more shocked yet when she winds up under suspicion as an accessory to murder. But Lainie is smart and she’s stubborn. She’ll figure out who killed her teammate’s husband—if she can stay out of jail, if she can stay alive, and if she can hang onto her sense of humor.

“Still Kicking is a wonderful, fast-paced, cozy, page turner that will keep your interest to the last page.” – The Midwest Book Review

“ Lainie Lovett is smart, sassy, and up to her shin guards in trouble when she offers evidence to the police during a murder investigation. Suddenly she’s the suspect! Don’t miss this mystery, or you’ll kick yourself for it!” Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author

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MY REVIEW

Lainie Lovett may be close to fifty but she could still play soccer better than anyone else. After her husband died two years ago, Lainie threw herself into the game even more. It became her lifeline. But one night after seeing her soccer friend Pattie’s husband in public with another woman will change her world forever. The husband turns up murdered the next day and when Lainie tries to help the police, she becomes their number one suspect.

It didn’t take me long to figure out the true culprit. The clues were everywhere. I don’t know why Lainie couldn’t see it. Even so, I enjoyed this mystery, as well as the characters and plot. This is the beginning of an interesting series.

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**The above opinions are 100% my own, whether I purchased the book or it was given to me to review.