Spying in High Heels - Halliday, Gemma

Spying in High Heels is the first novel in the High Heels Mysteries series. It's free and a very fun read. Since I can't imagine purposely living someplace like L.A. or wearing designer anything, this is a fantasy novel for me, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Did I mention it's free?

Maddie Springer is a kiddie shoe designer living in L.A. When her boyfriend Richard disappears, Maddie resorts to spying on his office, his family, and the police to find him. Especially since she is "late" and Richard could be a father. If she could just get up the courage to pee on that stick she'd know for sure. Then it turns out Richard is wanted for murder and the real murderer may have their sights on Maddie. Throw in Maddie's Mom's wedding, a police detective who gives Maddie hot flashes, and a best friend who never met a man she didn't want to...well anyway. Hilarious situations and a great bunch of characters make this book a pleasure to read. Very highly recommended.

The Turtle Boy - Burke, Kealan Patrick

The Turtle Boy is the first book in the The Timmy Quinn Series. This book is free. The others in the series are reasonably priced. If you like a good scary story this is for you. This is a great introduction to Burke's brand of horror. This isn't a full sized novel, but you'll wish it was.

Timmy Quinn is eleven and school is out for the summer. Like most eleven year old boys, Timmy and his friend Pete are bored, until they had over to Myer's pond. After that boring is no longer an option. When Timmy discovers he can step behind "the curtain" his life changes forever. I look forward to reading more in this series. King and Koontz have nothing on Burke. Very highly recommended.

Vengeance - Taylor, J.E.

Vengeance is about an FBI undercover agent. Two words sum up my feelings about this book -- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I bought it, even though it was free. I'm sorry I started it. I'm sorry I finished it. I won't be sorry for recommending it because I don't recommend it.

I had to stop and let some time pass before I wrote this review and I still may regret what I say here. This is a twisted, needlessly violent, disturbing novel. No spoiler intended, since I hope nobody else reads this, but there is nothing even remotely resembling a happy ending here. I only read the whole thing because I thought surely the author would have some kind of hook at the end to make me feel better about this book. Nope. Not recommended.

Bloody Little Secrets - Kirkpatrick, Karly

Bloody Little Secrets is a teenage vampire novel with an interesting twist. Another great free book for the kindle.

Vicky Hernandez wakes up to find herself in a coffin. She manages to break out of the coffin and discovers that she's a vampire. Now Vicky needs to figure out how she became a vampire and what to do with the rest of her life, or death. If the other pesky vampires would leave her alone it would be simpler. This story takes place in the western suburbs of Chicago. If you've ever lived there, and I have, it's interesting to read about places you've seen and ice cream delights you've tasted. Did you know a vampire can eat a kitchen sink? I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.

Black Light of Day - McIntyre, Jason

Black Light of Day is a collection of short stories. One word can describe these stories — dark. Not bad dark. Just dark. It's not a long collection, but it's only $1.99.

I've already reviewed Dark That Day, After All as a separate short story when it was free. Alas it's no longer available separately. This collection has some real gems. I particularly enjoyed Remembering Train Car Six. I'd like to see that be the basis for a full length novel. All these stories are worth reading. Highly recommended.

The Walk - Goldberg, Lee

The Walk is the literary equivalent of a disaster movie, an excellent disaster movie. This book is free for amazon prime members, but is well worth the $3.99 it costs everyone else.

Marty Slack is TV network executive. He starts out as someone you don't really like. By the end of the book, only the most jaded reader isn't pulling for Marty. The big one hits California while Marty is at a remote location in downtown Los Angeles. Once he's out from under his car, his one goal is to get home to his wife. It's a long and interesting walk. Marty learns a lot about himself along the way, and doesn't like some of what he learns. A real page turner. Very highly recommended.

Call To The Heart - Camden, David

Call To The Heart is Christian fiction. I've found that one end of the Christian fiction genre range contains books that simply avoid the use of sex, drugs, and other contemporary devices used to attract readers. The other end of the genre range includes books where good and evil, faith and God, and the devil play prominent roles. Call to the Heart is toward the later end of the range. If you don't usually read Christian fiction, don't let that put you off. This is a book that I had a hard time putting down.

This novel is about a group of Christian friends on a road trip to seek healing. Robert, Scott, Mars, Miranda, and Becca couldn't predict the opportunities and surprises they'll encounter along the way. This trip helps them all understand more about themselves and their faith. This road trip is an adventure that will change all their lives forever. This book provided plenty of suspense to keep me reading past my bedtime at night. Highly recommended.

I think it's interesting that most people who read a lot of fiction, and I do, can suspend disbelief to enjoy books about vampires, werewolves, witches, and zombies. The same people will turn their noses up at Christian fiction. When I finish a novel by Armstrong, Meyer, or Harris I don't believe in witches, vampires, or shape shifters. Christian fiction often includes angels and demons, and they frequently have powers that put other supernatural creates to shame. You can enjoy a good Christian fiction story without embracing Christianity. Give it a try. It can be very rewarding.

The Dead Man - Goldman, Joel

The Dead Man is another Jack Davis thriller. An excellent book. It will help if you read Shakedown first, but it's not required. Shakedown is 99 cents and The Dead Man is free to Amazon Prime members.

Jack Davis is an ex-FBI agent. He was forced to retire because he shakes due to a neurological disorder. He still does some pretty good work in this murder mystery. He's got a whole lot going on in his life right now, including clearing his name with the FBI, but catching a killer is at the top of his list. Very highly recommended.

The Blood That Bonds - Buecheler, Christopher

The Blood That Bonds is the first book in the II AM Trilogy. Please ignore the terrible cover art on this book. The writing is much better than the cover would imply. My apologies to the illustrator, but that kind of image does nothing to attract me. This book is free. That's what attracted me, and it's a book I really enjoyed.

Two Ashley Majors was known as Ashley for her first 14 years. Then she decided that Two fit her better. She split from home when she was 16 and hustled pool for a while. Then one night she was mugged and her life changed forever. Theroen is a vampire. He recognized Two as a good person trapped in a bad situation. Theroen "rescued" Two from a life she didn't want and couldn't escape. Some vampires you can love. Others you hate. Two deals with it in interesting ways. I look forward to reading the second book in this series, even if I have to pay for it. Highly recommended.

Glasruhen Gate - Cooper, Catherine

Glasruhen Gate is the second book in The Adventures of Jack Brenin. I took too long to get around to this book. I'm glad I made it back.

At the end of The Golden Acorn Jack has discovered his magic, become a raven boy, and found what's needed to open the Glasruhen Gate. In this book Jack and his friends open the gate and travel through to Annwn for more fun and adventures. Don't worry, the adventures will continue, but this was an excellent sequel with a satisfying conclusion. However, I've decided I don't want an oracular frog. Very highly recommended.

Moscow Sting - Dryden, Alex

Moscow Sting was a Free Friday nook book. Free is good. So is this book.

Anna was a spy. She was a KGB colonel. She fell in love with her British counterpart Finn, and they both dropped out of the spy game. But then the KGB killed Finn and Anna disappeared. In this novel Anna is found. The who, how, why, and where are the meat of this excellent spy story. Dryden spices it up with some romance, violence, and lots of intrigue. The good guys are hard to distinguish, but the bad guys are bad. Highly recommended.

Invisible - McCourtney, Lorena

Invisible is an Ivy Malone Mystery, the first in the series. It's a great book and it's still free.



Ivy Malone is a late bloomer in the detecting game. She's officially a senior citizen, but now that she's retired from the librarian business and a widow she's taking some chances. The fact that she feels like an invisible little old lady (LOL) gives her a boost. She starts investigating vandals in the cemetery and quickly moves up to murder. Throw in a little romance and you have a great story. Let me warn you there's something of a cliff hanger, but the first book has a satisfying conclusion in spite of that. Very highly recommended.

The Shop - Black, J. Carson

The Shop is about a government agency that lost sight of its mission and control of its agents. Conspiracy theory much?



Cyril Landry is a husband and father, and he's a government killer. Cyril is about to discover his job isn't what he thought it was. Jolie Burke is a police detective for the Palm County sheriff's department. She's a widow with some family issues that need to be resolved. It takes almost the whole story, but these two are destined to meet and the meeting is intense. Along the way there's plenty of action and suspense. It started a little slow but this book builds as you read. Highly recommended.

Zombies Don't Cry - Fischer, Rusty

Zombies Don't Cry is a hoot. It might be considered an attempt at a zombie version of Twilight, but it never takes itself that seriously. Zombies are the new vampires! BTW, this was a free Friday nook book.



Maddy Swift is one of those teenage girls who fades into the background. She's got a best friend who likes the spotlight so she goes along, and life at Barracuda Bay High is pretty good. Maddy's Dad is the town coroner and Maddy likes to do grave rubbings, so things lean toward the morbid right from the start.

Then Maddy is struck by lightening and becomes a zombie. (I didn't know that could happen, but there's lots of good information on zombies in this book.) By coincidence, there's a budding zombie outbreak in Barracuda Bay. Maddy and her good zombie friends are doing their best to keep the rest of the town living and themselves undead.

This is the first book I've read where zombies are the good guys. Well, some of the zombies. A great read, but a little too much teenage angst for my taste, like Twilight. Still, highly recommended.

Spell Bound - Hawkins, Rachel

Spell Bound is the third book in the Hex Hall series. Since there is no cliff hanger this time I assume it's the last. I hope not though. They were all great books.



Sophie is back, but her powers have been locked. Considering she's still in a fight for her life, and maybe the whole world, that's not a good thing. And just when she thought her parents were half normal she finds out about her Mom. There's a shocker. Keep wondering who lives and who dies this time. You'll be surprised. Good ending to the series. Very highly recommended.

Someone's Watching - Potts, Sharon

Someone's Watching is a murder mystery about spring break. Perfect timing. If your kids or grandkids are going to Florida, wait until they get back before reading this!



Kate Brooks and her friend Joanne Sparks decided to do something a little more daring on spring break than drink, throw up, and get sunburned. Turns out it was more dangerous than they thought. When the two teenagers go missing, Kate's sister Robbie is enlisted by their father to help find Kate. Of course, before Robbie's father showed up, Robbie never knew she had a sister. A good convoluted murder mystery. Highly recommended.

Demonglass - Hawkins, Rachel

Demonglass is the second book in the Hex Hall series. Another cliff hanger, only this one is really hanging. I have to get that third book!



Sophie is spending the summer in England with her father, who's the head of the Prodigium council. They're living outside London at the Prodigium council headquarters in Thorne Abbey. Sophie is in for a surprise when she finds out who else is staying at Thorne Abbey, and once again her life is in danger. This time from a direction she never expected. Very highly recommended.

Hex Hall - Hawkins, Rachel

Hex Hall is book one in a series. When I finished it last night I started the second, and had to pay for it. Enough said.



Sophie Mercer has magical powers. This makes her a member of the Prodigium. She got her powers from her Dad, whom she's never met. When she finally crosses the line with her magic one too many times she's sentenced to the magical reform school for Prodigium kids, Hecate Hall. The witches, fairies, shape shifters, and other kids who live there know it a Hex Hall. Sophie doesn't fit in right away because she's never met any other Prodigium members. What Sophie doesn't know about herself is going to come as quite a shock, and a dangerous one. Perfect for teens and maybe a little younger. Very highly recommended.

Last Breath - Prescott, Michael

Last Breath is a murder mystery that kept me reading way past bedtime. This is another 99 cent gem.



C.J. Osborn is a seasoned L.A. cop. She's still haunted by an event that took place when she was 10 years old, but she combats her fear by facing the danger her job entails every day. Then somebody targets C.J. for death and the danger is coming from a whole new direction. Prescott never fails to please. This book is no exception. Very highly recommended.

Bubba and the Dead Woman - Bevill, C.L.

Bubba and the Dead Woman is a surprising book. It's a murder mystery that never takes itself too seriously. Think of Bubba as a kind of Texas redneck Stephanie Plum. If you don't know who Stephanie is you probably don't read. The best part is, this book is free for the kindle and the nook.



Bubba Snoddy is having a bad day. He's the just the mechanic, but he's the only person left to work Bufford's Gas and Groceries on a lonely Thursday night. If figuring out the cash register and the hot dog machine weren't enough trouble, when he gets home the next morning there's a dead woman in the weeds beside his house. Bubba is the number one suspect and he's got to fight to find out who really done it. Great book, and did I mention it's free! Very highly recommended.