Pearls by BonSue Brandvik

Book One, Spirits of the Belleview Biltmore

Publisher:  CreateSpace

Publication Date:  December 20, 2011

ISBN:  9781468013832

Pages:  430

Rating:  4 ½ stars

  

Honor Macklin is a woman who thought she could continue to work with her ex-husband.  Then she gets a call from her younger sister, Charity.  Cherry has a suggestion on how she can get away from the office for a while.

Honor has traveled to Florida to close up her mother’s house.  She’s going to be spending some time at the Belleview Biltmore.  Josh Lancing and his son Cody literally bump into Honor on the way to breakfast.  Later she meets Margaret and Darcy.  Honor also gets a call from her ex, William, and I can see why he’s her ex – lucky for her.

I’m happy to see that BonSue has given Honor a man like Josh to more than make up for her putz of an ex (you will love her nickname for him).  He seems to be a perfect fit for her.  And his son, Cody, also seems to be the perfect little boy.  I’m afraid that he seems to steal any scene he’s in.

As I read BonSue’s book, it reminds me of a film that came out in 1980 title “Somewhere In Time”.  I can almost picture Christopher Reeve as Josh and Jane Seymour as Honor.  I always thought that Ron Howard was a cute little boy in the movie “The Music Man”.  I think either he or Haley Joel Osment would be a cute Cody.

As I read the story of Margaret and Darcy, BonSue reminds the reader that we can learn from the past and that we can use that information to change our future.  It reminds us that we need to appreciate the family we have because they can be taken from us at any time.  Her women characters are strong women.  Some may not start out that way but with guidance they build their self-confidence and pass their knowledge on to the next generation.

BonSue has created a world where spirits exist – and I would like to think that this is actually true.  At times, she makes Honor a quiet voyeur.  By doing that, BonSue lets the reader take Honor’s place and see how Darcy had to live.

This book had me totally fascinated.  I did not want to put it down.  There were errands to run and my brother came in from Ohio and I just did not want to have to stop reading.  This is a long book to some but it will not disappoint you.  It had me laughing, smiling, and just about crying at one point or another.  It had me thinking of my own mother who passed away a few years ago. 

This book also left me wanting more.  I hope that BonSue will give her readers more stories about the “J’s”.  You’ll understand when you read Pearls.  I also want to learn more about the Belleview Biltmore.  And I do know that if I ever make a return trip to Florida, I will have to check this hotel out.  You will also want to check out her web site, http://www.spiritsofbelleviewbiltmore.com/.

Ransom by Emily Guido

Second Novel in the “Light-Bearer” Series

This is a review of the last two books in the series – Seditious, Ransom.

PDMI Direct

Rating:  4 stars

Morning sickness – what a great way to start the first chapter.  Our couple, Charmeine and Tabbruis, is very happy.  All the people from the first three books have reappeared here as well.  Just like the first novel I reviewed, Emily gives titles to each of her chapters. 

Charmeine is the Queen of Light and Tabbruis is the King of Darkness.  Even though Charmeine is the Queen of Light, Emily lets her let loose with swearing.  If a light-bearer can do it, then I won’t feel bad when I need to use some colorful language.

Whether you believe in the bible or not this book has used a couple of people that can be found there.  I was brought up in the Baptist faith and know who Bathsheba is.  I find it very interesting that Emily has made her a blood hunter but it fits.  At one point in Emily’s book, she appears in another part of history and going by a different name – again the perfect choice.

Emily also shows us that true love can also come with a few bumps in the road.  It’s how we handle that bump that’s important.  Emily also shows her readers that even Kings can still be a royal (sorry for the pun) pain in the ass just like anyone else.

One of the characters is named Athena.  She is such a sweetheart and is wise beyond her years.  For me, she seems to steal every scene she is in.  When it comes to fighting evil Emily shows us that no matter how young we all must join the fight – it takes everyone to overcome evil.  My favorite sentence was said by Sandra “There is strength in numbers and conviction…” 

This is why good characters work so well together and why evil characters never will.  Charmeine and her family feel that love and family are what is important – we sometimes forget about that because other things seem to get in the way.

Emily also continues with the Billy Joel music.  I did not mention it in my first review, so if you get a chance you could listen to “She’s Got a Way” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5djkVhLjw18) while you read this installment of Emily’s Light-Bearer’s Series.  Also toward the end of the story, just as in the last book, we switch to classical music.  The difference being, instead of Chopin we get Beethoven.

I’ve found out that come early next year, Emily is giving us another Light-bearer book.  This one will be titled Conundrom.  I find that interesting since the definition of conundrum is “A question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer; a riddle”.  And if you know Charmeine, she tells some pretty bad light bearer - blood hunter jokes.  It will be interesting to see if this is the case.  I look forward to reading Conundrom and finding out for myself if this is true or not.

http://www.emilyguido.com/  " The Light-Bearer Series" Novelist, Emily Guido

Charmeine by Emily Guido

First Novel in the “Light-Bearer” Series

This is a review of the first three books of the series – Charmeine, Mactus, Accendo.

PDMI Direct

Published:  September 02 - 28, 2012 (e-book)

Rating:  4 stars

Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Emily Guido, Book Review

Tabbruis feels that something is coming.  Charmeine is someone that brings him joy.  She is an angel and so is Tabbruis.  They complement each other.  What’s coming is going to affect Heaven.

I have a thing for great cars and Tabbruis drives a Dodge Charger SRT8.  If I thought I could get away with it, I would love a chance to take a car like that out on the open road and get a first-hand look to see what kind of power is under the hood.   It also makes me question; why Heaven need with a car but then you realize that we are finding how they came to be in Heaven together.  We find out that he has actually lived on Earth for quite a while.  He is what is called a blood hunter.

Charleen is an elementary school teacher.  We see that sexual harassment can also occur out on the playground.  But Charleen can take care of herself.  She also has a pseudo brother named Shane.  They ended up at the same orphanage and became fast friends.  Shane is someone that is very brave – he served our country and he somehow ends up working for Tabbruis.

It seems like the music choice at the beginning of the book is Billy Joel.  If you like, you may want to listen to some of his music as your read this book.  One song that is brought up a couple of times is “Piano Man”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEPV4kolz0.  And you can also check out one of my favorite tunes, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g&feature=relmfu, it makes me think that Tab has seen a lot of the history that Billy Joel sings about.  At the end Char’s music choice is Chopin.  So if you’ve never listened to him before, I hope you will give his work a chance.

As I’m reading this story, I get a sense that this is about good vs. evil.  And evil can take many forms.  Good can also take many forms and one such form are the “light-bearers”.  An acquaintance of Tabbruis’ explains what they are.  There is always a fight between the blood hunters and light-bearers but who will come out on top in the end.

One good thing about this book is that Emily gives each chapter their own title.  It gives the reader some idea as to what the chapter is going to be about.  In one scene where Charleen meets Tab for the first time, we find out that Char has some very interesting abilities – you will have to read if you want to find out what those abilities are.

This is one story where opposites actually do attract.  Emily also shows us that some people can change when they meet the right person.   And they will overlook their differences when the need to survive is there.  Tab has been told one thing about the blood hunters and the light-bearers but that doesn’t stop him from connecting and protecting Charmeine.  Char is very calm about believing everything she has been told – I don’t think I would be quite as calm. 

In one chapter, I got a total shock – it’s not something I saw coming or even thought as a possibility.  This is what makes a great author – they surprise you when you least expect it.  We also get lots of action and suspense along with our romance.  We have a lot going on but you won’t get lost or think things are going on too long.

This is a book that I would love to see as a graphic novel.  I say this because I would love to see the art work that would go along with Emily’s words.  It would just bring this story to life more than my imagination could.

There is some religion involved in this book – God, Heaven, Angels, Lucifer – but Emily does not preach to her readers.  It just shows the possibilities of what may happen between Heaven and Earth and those that fight for the good and those that follow evil.  It is your choice as to what to believe.

The book I received to review actually includes three books.  The books can be read by themselves but I hope you will read them in order.  Once you finish these three, you will want to see what Emily has in store for us in book 4 titled “Seditious”.  I also suggest that if you have a chance, check out Emily’s web site http://emilyguido.com/.

Sophie's Turn by Nicky Wells

Book 1, Rock Star Romance

Sapphire Star Publishing LLC

ISBN:  97819

Published:  August 08, 2012 (paperback)/September 4, 2012 (e-book)

424 pages (paperback)/580KB

Rating:  4 ½ stars

This story is written in the first person.

Sophie Penhalligan gets a marriage proposal while on a carousel.  But Sophie has a problem, she is already engaged.  But this is the Prologue and we need to go back in time.

Sophie is on her way to a date with Tim Renfrew.  Because she’s in England, Sophie’s traveling on the Tube.  I would love to add this to my bucket list – be an observer and watch the other passengers as we travel on the Tube route.

Nicky reminds us how different men and women are when it comes to remembering dates.  I also can’t figure out what Sophie sees in Tim – well they do say that love is blind.  The more I read the more I mentally yell at her to “dump him, dump him”.  He reminds me a little bit of my older brother – clueless.  Sophie also lets us know who her favorite band is – Tuscq.

Sophie is like a lot of young women, and girls, she has a thing for the lead singer of the group.  If you like to listen to music as you read, you may want to put on some of your favorite music.  Me – I would love to listen to some Michael Buble. 

Rachel is the perfect friend for Sophie.  I can picture her with these little horns that poke through every once-in-a-while.  She’s also a great person to have around when Sophie needs to bend someone’s ear.  Rachel also has me laughing every so often.  When I go traveling, it would be great to have someone like her along for the trip.

I love how Nicky puts temptation in Sophie’s way – like the apple was tempting to Eve, Dan is tempting to Sophie.  He knows how to go after what he wants.  And having Sophie’s occupation as a journalist is perfect.  What could be more ideal then putting a journalist and a band together.  The only disappointment I had was that there was no audio – I would have loved to listen to some of Tuscq’s music while reading this book.  Maybe someone will develop an ipod/e-reader combination.  In the meantime, I’ll just continue to listen to Michael.

If I ever travel “across the pond”, I’ll plan on taking Sophia’s story with me.  It would be interesting to travel to all the places mentioned in the book.  This way, I would get to experience some of what Sophie got to.  But I may have to find out what band may be traveling in the same vicinity of where Tuscq was playing in the book.  If not – pack lots of CDs.

This was a great book to start this series off with.  The ending was not something I was expecting.  It’s a great lead in to the next book coming out.  I’m looking forward to see what happens to Sophie next in book two titled Sophie’s Run.  We can look forward to it coming out in February of 2013.  You can also check out Nicky’s web site at http://nickywellsklippert.wordpress.com/.

Nicky Wells, Author

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

Rock On! Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star and the girl next door.  She recently signed her work with U.S. publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing.  Nicky loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.  When she’s not writing, Nicky is a wife, mother, and occasional teaching assistant.

Originally born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993, and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys.  In a previous professional life, Nicky worked as a researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in London and Washington, D.C.

Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on her work in progress, the second and third parts of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy.  You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook.  Nicky is a featured author on the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and has joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Nicky also has author pages at Sapphire Star Publishing and, of course, Goodreads.

About Sophie’s Turn

Slapper.  Slut.  Adulteress.  These are hardly words that Sophie Penhalligan would normally use to describe herself.  Yet this is exactly how she is behaving, all things considered, even if she isn’t quite married to Tim yet.  And it’s all happening because her past is coming to tempt her!  Nine years ago, she met her teenage idol and rock star extraordinaire, Dan, up close and personal.  Well, almost.  Now Dan has crash-landed back in her life.  How could Tim ever stand a chance against the charming, handsome singer?  How could she?

Sophie, now twenty-eight and a budding newspaper journalist, is happily embroiled in a relationship with Tim, her boyfriend of two years.  Until recently, she was confident that Tim would eventually propose—probably as soon as he could get his act together.  But just as Tim’s persistent inaction is beginning to cast a cloud over their relationship, Dan’s sudden reappearance turns Sophie’s world upside down.  Thus unfolds a roller-coaster of events including an ill-fated trip to Paris with Tim, a night of unfulfilled romance with Dan, Sophie and Tim’s engagement party gate-crashed by Dan, and Sophie’s professional secondment to accompany Dan’s band on their revival tour—at Dan’s special request and very much against her will. 

And then, one fine day in Paris, Sophie suddenly finds herself engaged to Dan while her erstwhile fiancé Tim is...  well, doing whatever it is Tim does back in London.   What is she to do now?  Who wouldn’t give anything to meet their favorite star, let alone marry him? 

Find out how Sophie gets into this impossible situation, and how she turns it around, in Sophie’s Turn, the honest, funny and sometimes bittersweet story of one woman’s entanglement with a rock star.

Sophie’s Turn is available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and many other Amazon sites. The paperback edition is also available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. In addition, you can obtain Sophie’s Turn from Barnes & Noble.

 

 

Amazon.com Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Sophies-Turn-Rock-Romance-ebook/dp/B00961HXC2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346863603&sr=1-1&keywords=sophie%27s+turn

 

Amazon.co.uk Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sophies-Turn-Rock-Romance-ebook/dp/B00961HXC2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346872857&sr=8-2

 

Amazon.com Paperback http://www.amazon.com/Sophies-Turn-Nicky-Wells/dp/1938404203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346863514&sr=8-1&keywords=sophie%27s+turn

 

Amazon.co.uk Paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sophies-Turn-Nicky-Wells/dp/1938404203/

 

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sophies-turn-nicky-wells/1112526809?ean=2940015143393

 

Ace-High Flush by Patricia Green

Book 2, Journey Family Series

Blushing Books

ISBN:  9781609685676

Published:  May 11, 2012 (e-book)

106 pages/229KB

Rating:  4 ½ stars

Contemporary Romance, Erotic, Blushing Books, Spanking, BDSM, Patricia Green

Ace Journey is a Texan that calls himself a confirmed bachelor.  He’s at a function when he sees Gabriella Appleby.  They had an altercation prior to this function.  Gabby is a plus-size model from New Jersey who has a mother that she takes care of.  I can identify with Gabby in that I’m not model thin and I’ve always taken care of my parents.  And I can almost understand her attitude problem.

Ace has come to New Jersey on business and Gabby has agreed to meet him at a Jewish Deli.  I love the name Patricia gave the deli – Rumpernooks.  I would love to know the type of research Patricia may have done for this scene.  Gabby is showing Ace the difference between bagels from Texas and a true Jewish bagel.

Patricia makes Gabby’s mother something of a clinging vine.  You have to feel sorry for Gabby.  My own mother was different from Gabby’s.  My mother had a severe stroke and it was a lot of time and energy to work a full time job and then to be her caregiver.  I had a good support system at my job.  I was able to take the time needed to see to her care.  But reading Patricia’s story, Gabby doesn’t have that support.  Plus I get the impression that the mother likes being the center of attention.

Patricia has made a teaser of a book trailer on YouTube, http://youtube/UH7Hkl9a5cg. Now this book does cover spanking and there is a quick scene in the trailer.  There are explicit scenes but they are done tastefully.  I also love that each book is a stand-alone since I haven’t read the first book yet.  If you haven’t read any of this series yet, you can stop by Patricia’s web site, http://patriciagreenbooks.com/journey-family-series/, to check out what books are out now and which book is coming out this Fall.  I hope you will give this series a try.  I’m looking forward to reading the others.

BUY LINKS:

Ace-High Flush/ - Blushing Books – 

http://www.blushingbooks.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=717

Amazon -
http://www.amazon.com/Ace-High-Flush-Journey-Series-ebook/dp/B0082PLBBC/ref=la_B002RCB0IK_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1336943982&sr=1-11

Book Addict: One Year Birthday & Blogoversary Giveaway

Book Addict: One Year Birthday & Blogoversary Giveaway: It´s my Blogoversary!!!!!! SQUEEEEEE!!!!, who would have though that It´s been a year since Book Addict came to be. I certanly didn´t ex... (How can you pass up a chance at winning one of six prizes).  As of today, you have 27 days left.