Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Too Close to Home - Eason, Lynette

Too Close to Home is a murder mystery with a distinct Christian message. This book was free when I downloaded it. The pace is fast and the suspense is palpable. A good read.



Connor Wolfe is a homicide detective working a case with missing teens who are turning up dead. Samantha Cash is an FBI special agent who's specialty is computers. When Connor's missing teens appear to have met their kidnapper online, Samantha is called in to track the killer. Plenty of action and a truly evil villain make this a real page turner. Highly recommended.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun (An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery) [Kindle Edition] Lois Winston (Author)

Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun is a murder mystery with some interesting differences. Billed as an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, little recipes for craft projects appear in the text from time to time. This was another free book. It's worth the read.



Anastasia Pollack is the crafts editor for a women's magazine. Her life has been hit by a series of disasters, including her husband dying at a casino in Las Vegas when he was supposed to be on a business trip. Then Anastasia's glue gun is used to murder the fashion editor, who everyone hates, in Anastasia's office. At this point Anastasia decides to turn amateur sleuth. This is a fun story with some serious moments of danger and suspense, but mostly a hilarious misadventure. Highly recommended.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Awakened: Book One - Tesar, Jason

The Awakened: Book One is the first in a series. This is another free book and it's a great book at any price. Most of the free books I've read are part of a series or trilogy, and the first book is free to suck you in. That's fair. I've read a few free books now that I will eventually get back to and read rest of the series. This book ends on a literal cliff hanger and I'm not sure I can wait. It's that good.



Adair is the governor of Bastul. He leaves to meet with an informant and never returns. Adair's son Kael is at odds with the new governor and is sentenced to death. Kael's mentor and tutor Saba is kidnapped and carried off to a far land. Kael's mother Maeryn is left with no husband and no son and a cruel new governor who has inherited her along with his new job.

There is some present time action that's not put into context in this first book, but most of the story takes place in the ancient Orudan Empire. This is a threaded story with suspense, mystery, and action on almost every page. I'll be reading The Awakened book two and three. I guess Tesar used all his imagination on the story with none left for titles :) Very highly recommended.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Messages - Hileman, John Michael

Messages is a thriller about a terrorist plot against America. This book kept me reading way past bedtime. It was free when I downloaded it and it's still free.



David Chance works at a Boston TV studio as an intern. For some reason he begins to see messages in all the words that surround him. Words from a billboard, a newspaper, someone's t-shirt, or a flyer in a window form messages that tell him what's going to happen in the future. Where do the words come from and what is he supposed to do with the messages? They save his life and the life of his neighbor. Can they save the president of the United States and Boston from a terrorist plot? There's a religious flavor to this novel but no proselytizing. I've added Hileman to my list of authors to watch for. Highly recommended.

Friday, January 20, 2012

The Soulkeepers - Ching, G. P.

The Soulkeepers is the first book in the Soulkeepers series. It was free when I downloaded it. It's now 99 cents. Still a bargain.



Jacob Lau is 15 and he's just lost him Mom. Literally lost her. His Dad was killed in Afghanistan, so he's forced to move from his home in Hawaii to the little town of Paris Illinois, to live with his uncle's family. A family he never even knew he had before losing his mother. The mystery surrounding Jacob grows as he learns who and what he is. This is a book I had a hard time putting down. I'll continue this series, even if I have to pay. If you're turned off by books with some biblical themes you shouldn't be. This book is well worth the read. Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Telesa - The Covenant Keeper - Young, Lani Wendt

Telesa - The Covenant Keeper is another book I got for free. Keep your eyes open. This book is now $5 so you have to be alert. But it's well worth the price. I'll be looking for the next one in this series when it comes out.



Leila Folger is an orphan. Her mother died in a hurricane when she was a baby and her father died a few months ago. She's 18 now, and despite her father's wishes and her grandmother's orders, she's going to visit Samoa. Her parents met there and she was born there. She wants to connect to her roots. She's in for quite a shock when she finds how deep her roots run. This is a great story with mystery, teen romance, and some pretty intense action. No sex, no swearing, great for teens. Highly recommended.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Dead Angler - Houston, Victoria

Dead Angler is a murder mystery set in the north woods of Wisconsin. When I got the book it was free. It's not anymore, but still less than $7 at the time I write this. I'm glad I got this book because I would have missed an excellent story if I hadn't. Houston is an author who will go on my list.



Paul Osborne is a retired dentist and fisherman. He makes an appointment to get some help with his fly fishing and finds out his instructor is the chief of police and a woman. The adventure starts when he falls over a dead body in the stream they're fishing. The rest is fishing, murder, and mystery. This is a great who done it. Very highly recommended.

Shakedown - Goldman, Joel

Shakedown is a murder mystery, but the title isn't about extortion. It's about an unplanned career change. I really like this story, and it's free too.



Jack Davis is an FBI agent with a marriage that's dissolved, a daughter who is walking on the edge, and the shakes. He's doing his best to handle all three when a drug dealer he's pursuing is one victim in a mass murder and his shakes turn into a quake. Jack is suspended, but with the help of a jury consultant he's finds interesting in many ways, he may be able to clear this case before his career is shaken apart. This is as great mystery. Why pay for Connelly, Patterson, or Deaver when Goldman is free and just as good. Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Legon Awakening - Taylor, Nicholas

Legon Awakening is book one in the Legon Series. This is a fantasy alternate reality novel with some interesting twists. Did you ever want to be a dragon? The best part is this book was free.



Legon and his sister Sasha have always had a unique special bond. He's her strength and she's his pathway to peace and calm. They had no idea how special the bond was until Legon awakened to his destiny. Elves and humans are battling the Iumenta for the rule of their world. There are a few spelling and grammar problems with this book. Maybe I read too many facebook posts, where there appear to be no rules, but I didn't find these small errors detracting from my enjoyment of the story. Highly recommended.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Kiss Me, Kill Me - Anthology

Kiss Me, Kill Me is an anthology of supernatural "romance" stories, but some have more romance than others. The authors are H.P. Mallory, Zoe Winters, Susan Bischoff, Lori Brighton, M.T. Murphy, Kait Nolan, Toni LoTempio, Daniel Arenson, and Stacey Wallace Benefiel. I like anthologies because they introduce me to new authors and their writing. I've discovered some great story tellers with this kind of book.



Impulse Control by Bischoff was a standout. If you have special powers should you control them or should the government control you? I'll be looking for some full length novels by Bischoff.

Murphy's A Fairytale Ending was brutal. He pulls no punches and his characters revel in their evil nature. An interesting twist. I want more.

If You Leave by Benefiel is another unique outlook on the supernatural. If you don't "go to the light" can you still love the living? I'll look for more by Benefiel too.

The other stories in the anthology were also good. Give it a try and pick your favorites. Highly recommended.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Free Apps, Free Books - they're out there

I just spent about 40 minutes on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble web sites downloading free books for my kindle/nook/android. In those 40 minutes I found seven books for the kindle and six for the nook that are free, and look like they'll be great reads. Keep checking here and I'll let you know what I think of 'em.



The point is, if you want to read with a computer or other eReader device, you can read for free. Other than a library, you can't beat that, and you can check books out of the library for the kindle and the nook as well. It depends on the library so check yours to be sure.



I have an android tablet that lets me use the free kindle app and nook app to read books. I also have the same free kindle and nook apps for my PC. You can even get the kindle and nook apps for most smart phones, although my old eyes wouldn't last long on a screen that small. So you don't need to invest in a dedicated eReader to take advantage of these free books. However, I've had a kindle for years now and love it. I won't go back to paper if given a choice.



So, if you want to start reading for free, the apps and the books are out there. When I review a book it's always available for the kindle and usually for the nook. It's easy to check. And if they're free I'll note that in the review. Let one of your New Year's resolutions be to read more and read free.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Skipped Parts - Sandlin, Tim

Skipped Parts is a novel about teenagers and their quest to understand sex. At first this didn't seem like a book I'd enjoy. It had good reviews, and was cheap, so I gave it a try. By the time I finished I was sorry it ended.



The year is 1963. Sam Callahan and his Mom Lydia have been exiled from South Carolina to Wyoming by Sam's overbearing judgmental grandfather. Sam almost immediately makes an enemy of the only other smart kid in his seventh grade class, Maurey Pierce. But they have too much in common to be enemies for long. Their love of books and curiosity about the "missing parts" leads to some interesting experiments and a predictable outcome. That's the only thing predictable in this novel. You're kept guessing right to the end. This is a great story told in an amazing voice. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Tehran Initiative - Rosenberg, Joel C.

The Tehran Initiative is the sequel to The Twelfth Imam. I read The Twelfth Imam thinking the ending stunk because it just ran off a cliff. Turns out this book explains the cliff, and it's an excellent explanation.



David Shirazi, CIA agent, starts out right where he left off in The Twelfth Imam, in a desperate attempt to avert nuclear disaster in the middle east. There's another heavy dose of action and political intrigue in this sequel. The world is on the brink. Can David get the information the CIA needs to avert disaster? It's hard to put down. And there is more to come. At least this time I know to look for another novel. Thanks Rita for the Christmas present. Highly recommended.